Youth and peace-building

Commonwealth youth ministers will meet in April 2008 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to discuss emerging trends in global youth affairs, with a focus on the role of young people in peace-building.

The ministerial meeting is a unique opportunity for government ministers to provide mandates and prioritise actions on youth development across the Commonwealth, which is the only intergovernmental organisation with a dedicated youth programme.

The regional youth caucus from Commonwealth countries will meet beforehand and later attend the meeting alongside their ministers.

The 2008 theme ‘Youth and Peace-Building’ is drawn from the Munyonyo Statement on Respect and Understanding, which was adopted by Commonwealth leaders at their biennial summit in Uganda last November.

The report – Civil Paths to Peace - explains: “When young people are disenfranchised or humiliated or made to feel that they have little say and no future, they may become drawn into movements or ideologies that appear to guarantee them a place in the world and give them a solid identity …

“Worldwide, an estimated 300,000 people under the age of 18 are now, or have recently been, involved in armed conflict, and another 500,000 have been recruited into military or paramilitary forces. But young people need not be only the victims or perpetrators of violence; they also have an important role as peace-makers.”

Youth ministers and professional youth workers are keen to develop civil peace and security practices that identify young people not as ‘the problem’ but as rights-bearers and stakeholders in rebuilding a just society. The Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting (CYMM) will serve as a platform for sharing ideas and best practices from countries like Sri Lanka and Uganda, which have experienced conflict.

Today even the most stable Commonwealth countries are grappling with issues of social breakdown and violence. Peace-building has therefore become a vital part of nation-building and successful multiculturalism.

The CYMM will also provide mandates, direction and guidance to the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) for its next cycle of operations.

The CYP has regional centres in Guyana, India, Solomon Islands and Zambia. Projects include a resettlement programme for former child soldiers in Northern Uganda, HIV/AIDS peer counselling throughout Africa, and a youth credit initiative to create employment for young people through training and micro-credit support in the Caribbean and India.

Forty-three Commonwealth countries participated in the last CYMM held in Nassau, The Bahamas, in 2006.
 

Secretariat Links:

• Youth
• Country Profile: Sri Lanka
• Civil Paths to Peace