Walking the walk, talking the talk with youth, peace and security in Africa

Abstract

Those under the age of 35 make up at least 65% of Africa’s population, and they remain a largely untapped resource for peace and prosperity. Despite young people’s rather gloomy state of exclusion, multilateral institutions like the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) are instituting high-level advocacy campaigns for their increased inclusion and participation in peace processes. This policy brief explores how the global Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda can gain global momentum by taking a leaf from the approaches put forward by the erstwhile Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. Indeed, establishing a YPS agenda by the AU was a positive step toward sustaining peace on the continent. Nonetheless, just as with the WPS, the agenda needs to be domesticated and complemented by inclusive sub-regional regional and national legal frameworks for youth empowerment and emancipation. The brief also recommends that Africa champion this agenda for its youth population, despite its infancy stage.