Civilian crisis management operations often take place in fragile, conflict-affected, or post-conflict countries, where young people constitute a significant majority of the population. Unstable conditions affect youth in many ways, yet they are frequently excluded from formal decision-making processes and peace-building efforts.
In the new policy brief our former research and development intern Riina Pekkarinen aims to assess the current state of Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) implementation in civilian crisis management, drawing from Finnish secondees. Through their insights, the brief highlights both the progress achieved and the challenges faced in integrating youth-centred approaches into peace-building efforts. Based on these findings, the brief offers recommendations for advancing the YPS agenda more comprehensively in operations.
The key recommendations of the policy brief are:
- Including the YPS agenda in the mandate of each civilian crisis management mission, along with a detailed plan and clearly defined actions for practical implementation. Central to these actions should be a focused effort to engage local youth in the operational area, with an emphasis on creating opportunities for their active and meaningful participation.
- Designating a dedicated youth expert within missions and incorporating the agenda as a cross-cutting theme across all mission activities.
- Providing the experts with sufficient information about the YPS agenda, along with practical guidance on its implementation.
