The African Union, in collaboration with the United Nations and under the high patronage of His Excellency Mr. Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic of Burundi and African Union Champion for Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS), represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burundi, H.E. Albert Shingiro, convened a High-Level Side Event on Youth, Peace, and Security on 14 February 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The event aimed to share experiences and identify challenges in developing YPS National Action Plans (NAPs) across Africa while also exploring strategies to enhance youth representation in decision-making at all levels. Additionally, it served as a regional consultation contributing to the Second Independent Progress Study on Youth, Peace, and Security, which aims to present fresh narratives and data on the meaningful contributions of young people to peace processes and conflict resolution.
Participants discussed the need for greater commitment in centering young people in positions of influence. They highlighted that the youth should not only be included in policy discussions but also empowered with the necessary support and resources to implement their visions for peace and security. The event underscored youth leadership roles to drive sustainable change in the continent.
During the meeting, representatives of governments, the United Nations (UN), and the African Union (AU) reaffirmed their commitment to prioritizing youth leadership in peace and security efforts across Africa and to increase youth representation in decision-making processes related to conflict prevention and resolution – aligning with ACCORD’s strategic objective of enhancing the role of youth to prevent, mitigate, and resolve complex conflicts.
