The landmark Security Council resolution 2250 (2015) on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) recognized the important role of young people in maintaining and promoting international peace and security. It identified five key pillars for action: participation, protection, prevention, partnerships, and disarmament and reintegration. Since then, advancing the YPS agenda has become a UN priority. From 2018 to 2023, the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) invested over $291 million in 161 projects across 48 countries, focusing largely on local-level engagement.
This brief explores how advancing youth empowerment requires not only ensuring young people’s inclusion in peacebuilding at a local level, but also at a national or regional level, as part of a larger year-long Thematic Review of the PBF’s support for youth programming and advancing the YPS agenda, in particular as relates to the participation pillar.
The findings reaffirm the importance of supporting youth engagement at a national or regional level, where gaining visibility can be difficult for young people. They also suggest that scaling up youth participation depends on strong local foundations, with investments in youth-led organizations and networks serving as a base for more sustainable national and regional efforts.
Access the brief here.
Suggested citation: Emma Bapt. Youth empowerment at national and regional levels : UNU-CPR, 2025.
