"Peace is not an abstract concept for young people around the world, it is the foundation for their lives now and their futures to come."

"Humanity is incomplete without the involvement and perspectives of young women."

Former child soldier Muhindo Kamate's journey is an extraordinary testament to courage. After putting down his gun and leaving the armed group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he refused to let the scars of war define him. Instead, he founded the Association of Ex-combatants for Youth Support to offer thousands of other young people an alternative to the violence.

"It is very important that you come to the table with the initiative and desire to engage, to try and build a bridge."

For many in Nepal, peace is not a signed treaty or a political speech; it is a lived condition entangled with caste, class, gender, and geography. For 28-year-old Aishworya Shrestha, a Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, "real peace shows up before tragedy." It's about investing in people and giving voice to those "who live with its absence in ordinary ways, every day."

HerStory is about creating a space where Afghan girls and women can be themselves - share their culture, preserve their identity, and record the side of history that might otherwise be erased, all without waiting for permission or an invitation.

During the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, youth leaders, activists and influencers gather to discuss peacebuilding, equality and inclusion, climate action and more.

The UN Youth Office works to ensure that young people are not only heard but empowered as equal partners, shaping decisions, driving solutions, and leading alongside others to tackle the world's most urgent challenges. They are working with young people worldwide to make youth leadership impossible to ignore.

Read the original article

Let us move from inclusion to influence! Young women leaders and activists convened a powerful Peace Circle to call for investments in women peacebuilders worldwide, marking the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Peace is more than the absence of conflict; it is the presence of opportunity and dignity for everyone! Students gather at the National Autonomous University of Mexico's Culture of Peace festival to talk about peace.

"Young people are always pushed to the frontlines of conflict, but they are not the ones taking the decisions in the closed rooms."

"We are not just numbers or headlines. We are people: mothers, fathers, children—trying to survive and protect one another in impossible conditions. The world must see us, hear us, and stand with humanity. Support humanitarian work. Advocate for safe access. And most importantly, don't let Gaza be forgotten," says twenty-seven-year-old Dr. Tasneem Aboalkomboz serving as UN Volunteer in Gaza.

Young people and allies from across the Middle East and North Africa convened in Jordan - a pioneering champion of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda - to host six Peace Circles that reinforced that sustainable peace is built through local leadership, intergenerational collaboration, and meaningful youth participation.

"We have to change invitation to become co-creation."

"After hearing the testimonies of hibakusha, we become the storytellers, and we can change our world."

"If we are not able to be strong inside, we will not be able to give power and strength to the people who are close to us, to our communities, and to our countries."

When conflict divides communities, young women step forward first - mediating, rebuilding trust, and innovating where systems have stalled. The Young Women Peacebuilders Initiative empowers young women everywhere, allowing them to access the tools and networks they need to lead lasting change.

For Lesia Holoiad, a 28-year-old youth leader in Ukraine, the definition of peace is simple and absolute: "… peace means justice. And if justice requires a struggle, then it is worth it." Even as the war and the destruction continue to relentlessly reshape communities across Ukraine, Holoiad works daily to build her vision: "My peace is when everyone in Ukraine can study and work without fear, dream without limits and plan without reservations."

Peace Therapist is a youth-led, refugee-founded mental health and peacebuilding initiative working across the Middle East, Türkiye, and globally to strengthen individual and collective resilience in contexts affected by conflict, displacement and crisis.

For many, peace is a distant abstraction, defined simply by the absence of gunfire. But for Uruguayan photographer Ximena Borrazás, nearly four years on the frontlines of wars - from Ukraine to Lebanon to Syria and Ethiopia has revealed a deeper truth: "Real peace takes root not when bullets stop, but when people feel safe to rebuild their lives, when survivors are supported, and when their stories are acknowledged by the world."

"Let us move from inclusion to influence. Let us not only invite young women into peace processes, let's trust them to lead them."

"Governments must make sure that societies are stable [...] providing education, an economy with jobs, healthcare and gender equality which enables young women, in particular, to become political actors in their societies."

"Empathy is one step towards community building and towards action."

"Our hopes for a better world lie with young people."

"Without the inclusion of young women, peace will continue to be just an illusion in this world."

Since 1948, UN Peacekeeping has been one of the globally recognized symbols of the world's ability to come together to help countries move from conflict to peace. Today, peacekeeping missions around the world are partnering with the communities they serve - including youth and youth organizations - to amplify youth leadership and drive lasting change.

"Every time a young woman dares to create, to speak out and to dream aloud, an entire generation moves closer to freedom."

On the International Day of Peace (21 September 2025), youth leaders and allies from around the world gathered in a Peace Circle to launch the Hear Us. Act Now for a Peaceful World campaign.

"We need to work together to flesh out real youth-led initiatives that will be central to our work."

For Olla Alsakkaf, the fight for peace and climate justice is deeply personal. Now in its tenth year, the complex crisis in Yemen, fueled by conflict, economic collapse and climate shocks, is what drove the 30-year-old economics student into activism.

"Hope is action. Hope is doing. Hope is combining, collaborating and making things happen."

"Peace is not merely the absence of war but the presence of care, safety and justice."

"We cannot speak about empowering women without dismantling the systems that normalize disempowerment."

Ten years after the landmark UN Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, the message from young leaders is clear: they aren't just the future of peace, they are the architects of it. After a decade of progress and challenges, it is time to move beyond youth inclusion and toward youth leadership.

The Middle East and North Africa Coalition for Youth, Peace and Security is a platform that unites regional youth-led organizations to share experiences, take collective action, and connect with stakeholders globally.

At a Peace Circle in Bogotá, Colombia, organized by the UN Information Centre, young leaders gathered to explore the vital links between the right to education, peace literacy, and long-term conflict resolution.

"Invest in young women peacebuilders or get left behind."

"Youth are not just part of the future; they are also in the now. We must treat them as partners for peace."

The Global Refugee Youth Network is a refugee youth-led organization (RYLO) that promotes collaborative and inclusive spaces for refugee youth leaders and RYLOs across regions, to learn, exchange and co-create solutions for peace.

"Investing in young women peacebuilders is the wisest and only choice we have to make our societies and communities sustainable."

"Institutions have to be held accountable to follow through on youth-led initiatives."

"Young women need initiatives to be supported through finance and to have access to technological innovation."

Elimisha Kakuma or Educate Kakuma in Kiswahili is a college-access and preparation programme for high-achieving students in the Kakuma Refugee Camp - one of the world's largest refugee camps located in northwestern Kenya hosting over 300,000 refugees across the region.

The United Network of Young Peacebuilders is a global community of 118 youth-led organizations in 71 countries. Collectively, they advocate for young people to be included in decisions related to peace and security.

"Investing in leadership for young women is the foundation of sustainable peace in society."

"Investing in young women peacebuilders is the smart thing to do."

Peacebuilding is the essential, long-term investment that the United Nations makes in prevention and recovery. A core focus of the UN Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund is empowering young people to drive this change, enabling them to lead the rebuilding of their communities and design the future they want.

"In order to be together, we need to have cohesion, respect, love, and equality."

The UN Development Programme sees young people are not as a group to support but as the architects and torchbearers of our collective future. It works every day to break down the barriers that keep youth out of public life and opening doors to economic opportunity and civic engagement.

"Without young women peacebuilders, there will be no peace."

From local communities to the global stage, youth have been the true architects of bodily autonomy - transforming individual rights into a collective movement for a more just world. Moving beyond youth inclusion toward empowerment, the UN Population Fund strives to ensure the next generation has the resources needed to drive sustainable change.

"Peace is not an abstract concept for young people around the world, it is the foundation for their lives now and their futures to come."

"Humanity is incomplete without the involvement and perspectives of young women."

Former child soldier Muhindo Kamate's journey is an extraordinary testament to courage. After putting down his gun and leaving the armed group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he refused to let the scars of war define him. Instead, he founded the Association of Ex-combatants for Youth Support to offer thousands of other young people an alternative to the violence.

"It is very important that you come to the table with the initiative and desire to engage, to try and build a bridge."

For many in Nepal, peace is not a signed treaty or a political speech; it is a lived condition entangled with caste, class, gender, and geography. For 28-year-old Aishworya Shrestha, a Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, "real peace shows up before tragedy." It's about investing in people and giving voice to those "who live with its absence in ordinary ways, every day."

HerStory is about creating a space where Afghan girls and women can be themselves - share their culture, preserve their identity, and record the side of history that might otherwise be erased, all without waiting for permission or an invitation.

During the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, youth leaders, activists and influencers gather to discuss peacebuilding, equality and inclusion, climate action and more.

The UN Youth Office works to ensure that young people are not only heard but empowered as equal partners, shaping decisions, driving solutions, and leading alongside others to tackle the world's most urgent challenges. They are working with young people worldwide to make youth leadership impossible to ignore.

Read the original article

Let us move from inclusion to influence! Young women leaders and activists convened a powerful Peace Circle to call for investments in women peacebuilders worldwide, marking the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Peace is more than the absence of conflict; it is the presence of opportunity and dignity for everyone! Students gather at the National Autonomous University of Mexico's Culture of Peace festival to talk about peace.

"Young people are always pushed to the frontlines of conflict, but they are not the ones taking the decisions in the closed rooms."

"We are not just numbers or headlines. We are people: mothers, fathers, children—trying to survive and protect one another in impossible conditions. The world must see us, hear us, and stand with humanity. Support humanitarian work. Advocate for safe access. And most importantly, don't let Gaza be forgotten," says twenty-seven-year-old Dr. Tasneem Aboalkomboz serving as UN Volunteer in Gaza.

Young people and allies from across the Middle East and North Africa convened in Jordan - a pioneering champion of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda - to host six Peace Circles that reinforced that sustainable peace is built through local leadership, intergenerational collaboration, and meaningful youth participation.

"We have to change invitation to become co-creation."

"After hearing the testimonies of hibakusha, we become the storytellers, and we can change our world."

"If we are not able to be strong inside, we will not be able to give power and strength to the people who are close to us, to our communities, and to our countries."

When conflict divides communities, young women step forward first - mediating, rebuilding trust, and innovating where systems have stalled. The Young Women Peacebuilders Initiative empowers young women everywhere, allowing them to access the tools and networks they need to lead lasting change.

For Lesia Holoiad, a 28-year-old youth leader in Ukraine, the definition of peace is simple and absolute: "… peace means justice. And if justice requires a struggle, then it is worth it." Even as the war and the destruction continue to relentlessly reshape communities across Ukraine, Holoiad works daily to build her vision: "My peace is when everyone in Ukraine can study and work without fear, dream without limits and plan without reservations."

Peace Therapist is a youth-led, refugee-founded mental health and peacebuilding initiative working across the Middle East, Türkiye, and globally to strengthen individual and collective resilience in contexts affected by conflict, displacement and crisis.

For many, peace is a distant abstraction, defined simply by the absence of gunfire. But for Uruguayan photographer Ximena Borrazás, nearly four years on the frontlines of wars - from Ukraine to Lebanon to Syria and Ethiopia has revealed a deeper truth: "Real peace takes root not when bullets stop, but when people feel safe to rebuild their lives, when survivors are supported, and when their stories are acknowledged by the world."

"Let us move from inclusion to influence. Let us not only invite young women into peace processes, let's trust them to lead them."

"Governments must make sure that societies are stable [...] providing education, an economy with jobs, healthcare and gender equality which enables young women, in particular, to become political actors in their societies."

"Empathy is one step towards community building and towards action."

"Our hopes for a better world lie with young people."

"Without the inclusion of young women, peace will continue to be just an illusion in this world."

Since 1948, UN Peacekeeping has been one of the globally recognized symbols of the world's ability to come together to help countries move from conflict to peace. Today, peacekeeping missions around the world are partnering with the communities they serve - including youth and youth organizations - to amplify youth leadership and drive lasting change.

"Every time a young woman dares to create, to speak out and to dream aloud, an entire generation moves closer to freedom."

On the International Day of Peace (21 September 2025), youth leaders and allies from around the world gathered in a Peace Circle to launch the Hear Us. Act Now for a Peaceful World campaign.

"We need to work together to flesh out real youth-led initiatives that will be central to our work."

For Olla Alsakkaf, the fight for peace and climate justice is deeply personal. Now in its tenth year, the complex crisis in Yemen, fueled by conflict, economic collapse and climate shocks, is what drove the 30-year-old economics student into activism.

"Hope is action. Hope is doing. Hope is combining, collaborating and making things happen."

"Peace is not merely the absence of war but the presence of care, safety and justice."

"We cannot speak about empowering women without dismantling the systems that normalize disempowerment."

Ten years after the landmark UN Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, the message from young leaders is clear: they aren't just the future of peace, they are the architects of it. After a decade of progress and challenges, it is time to move beyond youth inclusion and toward youth leadership.

The Middle East and North Africa Coalition for Youth, Peace and Security is a platform that unites regional youth-led organizations to share experiences, take collective action, and connect with stakeholders globally.

At a Peace Circle in Bogotá, Colombia, organized by the UN Information Centre, young leaders gathered to explore the vital links between the right to education, peace literacy, and long-term conflict resolution.

"Invest in young women peacebuilders or get left behind."

"Youth are not just part of the future; they are also in the now. We must treat them as partners for peace."

The Global Refugee Youth Network is a refugee youth-led organization (RYLO) that promotes collaborative and inclusive spaces for refugee youth leaders and RYLOs across regions, to learn, exchange and co-create solutions for peace.

"Investing in young women peacebuilders is the wisest and only choice we have to make our societies and communities sustainable."

"Institutions have to be held accountable to follow through on youth-led initiatives."

"Young women need initiatives to be supported through finance and to have access to technological innovation."

Elimisha Kakuma or Educate Kakuma in Kiswahili is a college-access and preparation programme for high-achieving students in the Kakuma Refugee Camp - one of the world's largest refugee camps located in northwestern Kenya hosting over 300,000 refugees across the region.

The United Network of Young Peacebuilders is a global community of 118 youth-led organizations in 71 countries. Collectively, they advocate for young people to be included in decisions related to peace and security.

"Investing in leadership for young women is the foundation of sustainable peace in society."

"Investing in young women peacebuilders is the smart thing to do."

Peacebuilding is the essential, long-term investment that the United Nations makes in prevention and recovery. A core focus of the UN Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund is empowering young people to drive this change, enabling them to lead the rebuilding of their communities and design the future they want.

"In order to be together, we need to have cohesion, respect, love, and equality."

The UN Development Programme sees young people are not as a group to support but as the architects and torchbearers of our collective future. It works every day to break down the barriers that keep youth out of public life and opening doors to economic opportunity and civic engagement.

"Without young women peacebuilders, there will be no peace."

From local communities to the global stage, youth have been the true architects of bodily autonomy - transforming individual rights into a collective movement for a more just world. Moving beyond youth inclusion toward empowerment, the UN Population Fund strives to ensure the next generation has the resources needed to drive sustainable change.