Policy Brief

Meaningful Inclusion? Enhancing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda in Euro-Mediterranean Conflict Resolution

January 2024

Abstract

This paper explores the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) Agenda’s impact on youth involvement in conflict resolution, focusing on Euro-Mediterranean regions, specifically post-Arab Spring Yemen and Libya. The YPS Agenda emphasizes five pillars: participation, protection, violence prevention, partnerships, and disengagement/reintegration. Despite positive shifts in recognizing youth contributions, formal inclusion in peace processes remains limited. In Libya, youth references in agreements are scant, highlighting a gap between rhetoric and implementation. In Yemen, initial youth inclusion declined, reflecting challenges in formal peace talks. Examining the European Union’s (EU) integration of YPS, the paper identifies gaps in addressing youth participation, protection, and partnerships. Recommendations include leveraging existing initiatives, broadening participation notions, promoting intergenerational facilitation, prioritizing cross-domain transfers, adaptive space design, supporting youth-inclusive practices, enhancing data collection, favoring partnerships, and providing explicit guidelines for youth protection. These suggestions aim to strengthen the YPS Agenda’s impact and foster a more inclusive approach to conflict resolution in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

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