Your
Excellencies,
Members
of the Security Council,
I
have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries, including
Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Denmark.
Excellencies,
Today
marks the day when the UN Security Council unanimously formally recognised the
important role that young people play in preventing and resolving conflict and
violent extremism, and in realising peace and security from the local to the
global level. Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) was truly a
milestone for all of our efforts towards achieving sustainable peace.
Since
then, the agenda for increased youth inclusion has gained more momentum, often
as a result of youth’s own actions and demands. Young people are increasingly
recognised as peacebuilders, agents of change in preventing, mitigating, and
resolving conflict in their communities.
But
there is still a long way to go. Youth have the right to both participate and
to be heard in matters regarding their own lives. Still, young people continue
to encounter structural barriers and societal limitations to their
participation in peace and security efforts, and more widely in political,
economic and cultural life. In addition, the specific needs and vulnerabilities
of youth in armed conflict must be recognised and addressed. We would like to
highlight the gender perspective and safe access to education as key elements in
responding to the protection needs of youth and enabling their participation.
The UN and its Member States must renew and strengthen efforts to secure the
implementation of the Youth, Peace and Security agenda on the ground.
Today,
we must both take stock and look ahead. Member States and the Security Council
must work to ensure that the positive momentum continues by ensuring full
implementation of the Youth, Peace and Security agenda and further accelerating
the involvement of young people in preventing conflict as well as shaping and
maintaining peaceful resolution of conflicts.
Excellencies,
We
commend the African Union and the African Union Envoy on Youth, Ms Aya Chebbi,
for the comprehensive efforts to mobilise the participation and engagement of youth
in the implementation of the flagship program “Silencing the Guns” and the
“10-Year Implementation Plan For The Continental Framework On Youth, Peace and
Security (YPS) 2020-2029”. We also welcome a stronger partnership between the
UN and the African Union in moving this agenda forward.
The
Nordic countries have a long tradition of meaningful youth engagement – also
when it comes to the peace and security agenda. Collectively,
the Nordic countries support a range of youth-led initiatives at the national
and international level: One example is our support to the Global Community
Engagement & Resilience Fund that promotes young people as active leaders
in building and sustaining peace and preventing violent extremism in their
communities.
We
welcome the innovative approaches to youth engagement in peace and security
processes that some Member States have undertaken, and encourage other Member
States to follow example and accelerate progress towards shaping their own
policies, tools, projects and programmes to better accommodate the voices of
young people in peace and security processes. Providing predictable and
flexible funding is key to achieve this.
Finally,
Your Excellencies,
As
has been repeatedly established, young people play an important, positive role
in their communities before, during and after the eruption of conflict. At the
5th anniversary of UNSCR 2250, we wish to see the agenda further
strengthened through especially three measures: Firstly, through Member States’
accelerated action to operationalise the resolutions on YPS at the local and
national level, for example through developing national action plans, roadmaps
or guidelines. Secondly, through the Security Council’s continuous
incorporation of youth’s perspectives, including by mandates that provide for
effective participation of youth in peace and security efforts. Thirdly and
finally, through a strengthened focus on protection of young mediators, peacebuilders and human
rights defenders.
Thank
you.