United Network Of Young Peace Builder
We work to increase the role of young people in building peace around the world. On the basis of our vision, we work primarily on two different types of activities: International advocacy for youth participation in peacebuilding and strengthening the capacity of youth peacebuilding organizations in the form of training series, long-term partnerships, and publications. With our advocacy activities, we aim to shape international policy and practice on peacebuilding, encouraging enabling environments for young peacebuilders working at the local, national, and regional levels all over the world. By strengthening the capacities of youth peacebuilding organizations we aim to empower them to be even more effective in the work they do locally and thereby also strengthen the global voice of young people working for peace.
SHAPING POLICY AND PRACTICE
We bring the voices of young peacebuilders to the attention of international policy-makers, advocating for increased youth participation in peacebuilding and a culture of peace. The focus of our advocacy work is towards the United Nations, as resolutions and policies developed at the UN set a global standard for peace and development. One of the long-term goals of our advocacy work which we achieved in 2015 was the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution 2250 on youth, peace, and security.
An important part of our international advocacy work is carried out by our Youth Advocacy Team. The team consists of representatives of our member organizations, young peacebuilders active in their own local communities making their voice heard globally through the Youth Advocacy Team. We have permanent advocacy representatives based in New York and Geneva who work on a voluntary basis to represent young peacebuilders towards different United Nations bodies. Additionally, we have the recently established European Youth Advocacy Team, a group of committed young peacebuilders working together to influence policy and programmes at the European level.
In order to successfully reach our advocacy goals, UNOY works together with partners such as the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, Peacebuilding Support Office, the UN Intra-Agency Network on Youth Development Sub-Working Group on Youth Participation in Peacebuilding, Cordaid, Human Security Collective, UN-Habitat, Search for Common Ground, World Vision, UNFPA and many other international stakeholders. In addition, we are members of the Global Partnership on Children, Youth and Peacebuilding and the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations.
We are co-chairs of the Global Coalition on Youth Peace and Security alongside Search for Common Ground, and the United Nations (Peacebuilding Support Office – PBSO and United Nations Population Fund – UNFPA). The coalition recently held its Annual Meeting for Strategic Planning last November in Sandö, Sweden.
Apart from the international level, UNOY member organizations are crucial to successful local, national, and regional advocacy. Most UNOY members are engaged in advocating for peace locally, and significant numbers of members work at both national and regional levels to make the voices of young peacebuilders heard.