Youth participation essential for peace & security, say OSCE Secretary General and Chairmanship Representatives ahead of International Youth Day

VIENNA, 11 August 2017 – The participation of young women and men in peace and security efforts is crucial for achieving sustainable and inclusive results, said OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and the OSCE Chairmanship’s Special Representatives on Youth and Security today, ahead of tomorrow’s International Youth Day. 

This year’s International Youth Day, 12 August, focuses on “Youth building peace” and celebrates the contributions young people can make to peace and security, in line with relevant activities and commitments of the United Nations.

“The OSCE will continue to strengthen the role that young women and men can play in preventing conflicts and sustaining peace, including by increasing their participation in these processes as outlined in United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security,” said Secretary General Greminger.

Matteo Pugliese, one of the Special Representatives advising the OSCE Chairmanship on youth and security, recalled that “the Austrian OSCE Chairmanship has provided the opportunity for young leaders and experts to participate in a series of regional workshops aimed at countering violent extremism that leads to radicalization and terrorism (VERLT).” Their final recommendations were presented to OSCE participating States and partners for Co-operation at the 2017 OSCE-wide Counter Terrorism Conference in May.

"Young people are key agents in the prevention of conflicts and social violence,” said Special Representative Nico Schernbeck. “Recognizing the different roles and potentials of young people in our societies and strengthening their meaningful political participation across the three OSCE dimensions remains a prerequisite to addressing today’s challenges.”

Special Representative Anna-Katharina Deininger emphasized the opportunities for bridge-building that young people can bring. “Ensuring diverse forms of intercultural dialogue among youth from conflict-affected areas, including representatives of different ethnic and religious communities, can effectively contribute to positively transforming conflicts,” she said.

Authorities need to do more to build the skills sets and capacities of youth so that they can actively participate in society, said Special Representative Asif Safdary. "Governments should work jointly to combat youth illiteracy, including on ICT and cyber security issues and give youth free access on an equal basis to high-quality education" he added. 

The OSCE’s participating States have taken a number of steps forward in acknowledging the importance of the link between youth and security. In 2015, the OSCE Ministerial Council in Belgrade, Serbia adopted the Declaration on Youth and Security, while the Declaration on Youth was adopted at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel, Switzerland a year earlier.

In May this year, Spain supported an OSCE conference in Málaga that brought together young women and men from across the OSCE region to propose recommendations to participating States on how to engage youth in addressing current security challenges.