The landmark Security Council resolution 2250 (2015) on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) not only called for increasing young people’s role in peacebuilding and conflict prevention but also pointed to the need for those young people to be from diverse backgrounds. Yet, a common critique of youth programming since then has been that it too often treats “youth as a homogeneous group”, which can skew programming, result in less attention to specific vulnerabilities, or result in missed opportunities to harness the full potential of youth participation. More recently ,there has been increasing interest in taking an “intersectional” approach to programming, to identify and overcome these layered forms of exclusion, and to ensure that peacebuilding processes reflect the full diversity of youth experiences.
This cohort study examines 10 Peacebuilding Fund (PBF)-supported projects between 2018 and 2022 that have integrated intersectionality into their design and implementation. These initiatives have engaged diverse youth constituencies in peacebuilding and conflict prevention efforts, while also addressing power imbalances within youth groups themselves. The study highlights promising practices, such as identity-sensitive trauma healing, inclusive leadership training and mentorship programmes, and partnerships with grassroots organizations representing marginalized youth. The research and findings for this cohort study form part of a larger year-long Thematic Review on Youth, Peace and Security, which examined how PBF-supported peacebuilding programming has been advancing the YPS agenda.
Access the brief here.