Youth and Peacebuilding

This self-paced course on youth and peace-building targets young people aged between 15 and 30 from conflict-affected countries or countries in special situations, that are already working, or interested in working with others in the fields of peace-building and political decision-making. It is conducted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in line with the objectives of the Security Council’s resolution on on Youth, Peace and Security (UNSCR 2250).

The course materials are presented in text format with supporting audio commentary, visual aids and web-based resources for self-administered further exploration of contents. Regular quiz activities will enable participants to scrutinize the knowledge which the course intends to convey.

The course enables learners from around the globe to better understand the current situation of youth in complex contexts, their needs, challenges and potential, and to explore possible entry points for young people’s involvement in peace building activities and strategies.

Some of the learning objectives of the course are::

• Defining youth population in the peace-building process and central concepts such as peace, peace-building and violence
• Differentiating between the unique challenges youth population is facing in post-conflict settings
• Identifying attributes of youth population distinguishing them from other actors in peace-building
• Tracing strategies to engage youth population in peace-building in order to lessen the exclusion of youth in the peace-building process
• Outlining ways to facilitate youth population´s empowerment to enhance their capacity for contributing to the peace-building process