Fostering social cohesion and trust through an inclusive and participatory peacebuilding process during and after a transition or conflict is a challenging but necessary task. Many key stakeholders remain on the margins or excluded from the processes. In particular, the potential contribution and inclusion of young people to effective peacebuilding has received little attention and support.

Yet, young people’s leadership and roles in preventing and resolving conflict, violence and extremism are rich resources essential to building sustainable peace. Young people are valuable innovators and agents of change, and their contribution should be actively supported, solicited and regarded as part of building peaceful communities and supporting democratic governance and transition. Young people’s participation promotes civic engagement and active citizenship.

The following principles were identified to offer guidance to key actors, including governments, UN entities, funds and programmes, local, national and international non-governmental organizations, civil society actors and donors. These principles are designed to inform participative, inclusive and inter-generational peacebuilding strategies and programmes that systematically promote and ensure participation and contributions of young people in these challenging conflict contexts where violence has often become the norm.

These guiding principles were developed by the Subgroup on Youth Participation in Peacebuilding of the UN Interagency Network on Youth Development. The Subgroup on Youth Participation in Peacebuilding is co-chaired by the UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and Search for Common Ground (SFCG) and consists of members representing a number of UN agencies - including UNDP, (I)NGOs, academics and youth-led organizations.