12 August 2017: International Youth Day

The theme of International Youth Day 2017 is Youth Building Peace.

The United Nations adopted the resolution in 1999 to declare 12 August as International Youth Day.

There is a growing recognition that as agents of change, young people’s inclusion in the peace and security agenda is key to building and sustaining peace. Another Security Council Resolution in 2015 reaffirmed the important role youth can play in deterring and resolving conflicts, and said that youth are key constituents in ensuring the success of both peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts.

International Youth Day 2017 is dedicated to celebrating young people’s contributions to conflict prevention and transformation as well as inclusion, social justice, and sustainable peace.

The United Nations World Program of Action for Youth , which provides a policy framework and practical guidelines to improve the situation of young people, also encourages “promoting the active involvement of youth in maintaining peace and security”.

The current generation of youth are the largest in history and young people often comprise the majority in countries marked by armed conflict or unrest, therefore considering the needs and aspirations of youth in matters of peace and security is a demographic imperative.

https://www.un.org/development/desa/youth/international-youth-day-2017.html

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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