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United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)

United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)

Many cultures. One humanity.

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Young Peacebuilders

The UNAOC Young Peacebuilders is a peace education initiative that is designed to support young people in gaining skills that can enhance their positive role in issues of peace and security and in preventing violent conflict.

South Caucasus & Central Asia Latin America & the Caribbean
Middle East & North Africa West Africa

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Young Peacebuilders

Guided by the principle that youth are key actors to achieve peace and prevent violent extremism, UNAOC develops educational programming to enhance the ability of young people and their organizations to foster mutual respect, understanding and long-term positive relationships between peoples of different cultures and religions.

The UNAOC Young Peacebuilders is a peace education initiative that is designed to support young people in gaining skills that can enhance their positive role in issues of peace and security and in preventing violent conflict. It also brings visibility to the initiatives, actions and projects initiated by young people towards peace and the promotion of diversity and dialogue. As such, it responds to recent international policy recommendations outlined in the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2250, 2535, and 2419 on Youth, Peace and Security and the Secretary-General’s Plan of Action on Preventing Violent Extremism.

UNAOC intends to implement this programme in different regions of the world to grow and strengthen the global movement of young peacebuilders. Through this action, UNAOC is committing to support young people’s participation in peacebuilding with a growing coalition of partners.


AIM

The Young Peacebuilders is designed to engage young women and young men from select regions in an intercultural dialogue and peacebuilding experience. The aim is to support the growth of networks of young peacebuilders who are equipped with the tools to address negative stereotypes, prejudice and polarization in order to build more inclusive and peaceful societies, tackling the drivers of violent extremism.


AUDIENCE

The programme is intended for young women and young men who are starting their involvement in the field of peacebuilding and intercultural dialogue.

Applicants should be active (staff, volunteer, etc.) in a non-government and non-for-profit youth-led organization, network, initiative or movement (led by youth for the benefit of youth) and have the ability to consult with and reach a wider group of young people, audience or network, including at the grassroots and community level.


LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Learn about stereotypes and how to critically analyze them to reduce their prevalence;
  • Understand different perspectives in identity-based conflict and gain tools to develop solutions at local, national and regional level and transform conflicts peacefully;
  • Identify push and pull factors creating conditions conducive to violent extremism;
  • Develop competences to use different forms of media or expressive arts as a way to create alternative narratives, reduce polarization and promote social inclusion;
  • Learn how to successfully design and run your project.

PROGRAMME COMPONENTS

  • Part 1: online phase. Participants access the course through an online collaborative platform. UNAOC and other trainers facilitate the first few modules of the curriculum, giving an opportunity to participants to get to know each other prior to their first in-person meeting. They also start getting exposed to tools and concepts, engage in discussion and start reflecting on their peace actions.
  • Part 2: face-to-face workshop. All participants travel to complete the training and experience how peacebuilding is successfully implemented through local field visits.
  • Part 3: applied learning. Implementation of a personal peace initiative: participants are guided by UNAOC’s professional trainers and stay connected with other participants through the online platform, while reporting on the implementation of their projects.
  • Part 4: results sharing symposium. Participants are invited to participate in a symposium during which they share their experience, lessons learned, achievements and recommendations with a broader audience of practitioners, policy makers, media and the general public.

UNAOC Young Peacebuilders Training Handbook

Download your copy of the UNAOC Young Peacebuilders Training Handbook for Young Peace Educators!

Available in: [EN] [ES] [AR]

EDITIONS OF YOUNG PEACEBUILDERS

Young Peacebuilders in South Caucasus and Central Asia

In 2024, UNAOC launched the 8th edition of the Young Peacebuilders programme, bringing it for the first time to the South Caucasus and Central Asia region. Read more.

Young Peacebuilders in Latin America and the Caribbean

The fifth, sixth and seventh editions of Young Peacebuilders took place in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. Read more about the LAC editions here.

Young Peacebuilders in Middle East North Africa

The second, third, and fourth editions of Young Peacebuilders took place in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region. Read more about the MENA editions here.

Young Peacebuilders in West Africa

The first edition of Young Peacebuilders took place in West Africa in 2016 with 20 young men and women from the region, with a workshop in Abuja, Nigeria. Read more about this edition here.

PROGRAMME NEWS

  • UNAOC Trains New Cohort of Young Peacebuilders from Latin America and the Caribbean in Mérida, Spain July 10, 2023
  • The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Announces New Cohort of Young Peacebuilders from Latin America and the Caribbean April 14, 2023
  • UNAOC Launches Call for Applications for the 6th edition of its Young Peacebuilders programme (Latin America and the Caribbean edition) January 17, 2023
  • UNAOC to Hold the Young Peacebuilders Workshop in Merida, Spain October 2, 2022
  • UNAOC Holds Symposium of Young Peacebuilders in Rabat, Morocco June 16, 2022
  • UNAOC Selects Young Leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean for the 5th Edition of its Young Peacebuilders Programme June 14, 2022
  • UNAOC Launches Call for Applications for Young Peacebuilders in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2022 edition February 4, 2022
  • UNAOC Launches Fourth Edition of Peace Initiative ‘Young Peacebuilders’ with MENA Youth January 15, 2020
  • UNAOC Holds Workshop for the 3rd edition of its Young Peacebuilders programme in Merida, Spain October 16, 2019
  • UNAOC Launches the Third Edition of the Young Peacebuilders programme in the MENA Region June 26, 2019

Click here to read more YPB updates


“This programme taught me to keep carrying my positive spirit and keep working on my passion which is youth development, arts, culture, and peacebuilding. Eventually, I will reap the benefits of putting smiles on other faces and helping build a better connected world.”
Giovanni Charles (Saint Lucia), LAC 2022
“The programme is definitely a life-changing experience. Meeting young people from different countries, and putting into discussions our different realities was challenging but also eye-opening. It helped me to check my misconceptions, further understand complex realities, and above all, build bridges within my community.”
Afaf Lamkoutar (Morocco), MENA 2019
“The best thing about this programme is that it gives me a better and holistic understanding of the fact that conflicts are more or less rooted in the same causes. I now have an understanding of global mechanisms to deal with, and face, stereotypes.”
Shadi Shahbaz (Iran), MENA 2017-2018
“For me it has been a real life-changing opportunity that allowed me to meet amazing people, leaders and influencers from the MENA region and to make last-long friendships. It has also allowed me to learn many things that I didn’t know that existed, and to gain and advance many skills that are necessary to face the challenges of today. Now I really believe in myself and I am sure that I will do great things within my community thanks to this programme.”
Aziz Hannachi (Tunisia), MENA 2019
“This programme has provided me with many concepts and tools throughout its workshops and I have also met many people who have inspired me very much. We had a very good time sharing our experiences and learning from each other, and it was very great to be part of this.”
Abdullah Wajeeh (Iraq), MENA 2019
“I find it quite interesting how these problems are recurring in many societies and how many people are even aware of them, yet unfortunately little to nothing is benign done to overcome them and raise awareness. I hope we all amount to something of great benefit through this program and become as well as inspire others to become promoters of peace.”
Sally Itani (Lebanon), MENA 2017-2018
“UNAOC equipped me with innovative tools for fostering interreligious and intercultural dialogue as a young leader.”
Ms. Olaoluwa Halimat Abagun (Nigeria), WA 2016

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