We Are Here: An integrated approach to youth-inclusive peace processes

This policy paper, “We Are Here: An integrated approach to youth-inclusive peace processes”, helps us understand where and how young people engage in peace and mediation processes. It analyses how young people can influence such efforts using diverse and innovative approaches. From monitoring ceasefires to addressing local-level disputes, from drafting and shaping peace deals to using technology and social media to reach broader constituencies, young people’s energy and commitment to building and sustaining peace are playing invaluable roles and giving us much to build on.

The paper assesses youth participation and inclusion in peace processes from young people’s own point of view, through three integrated but non-hierarchical layers: in the room, around the room and outside the room of formal peace negotiations. Young people’s activities and roles in these integrated layers often builds relationships between the formal and informal realms of peace negotiations, which contribute to the legitimacy of peace processes among wider society.