Application Guidelines: Young Peacebuilders in South Caucasus and Central Asia – 9th Edition

---

1. The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) was established in 2005, as an initiative of Secretary-General Kofi Annan and co-sponsored by the Governments of Spain and Türkiye. UNAOC works towards a more socially inclusive world, by building mutual respect among peoples of different cultural and religious identities and highlighting the will of the world’s majority to reject violent extremism and embrace diversity. UNAOC project activities are fashioned around five pillars: Youth, Education, Media, Migration, and Women as Peace Mediators. UNAOC recognizes the critical role that programming and policymaking in these areas can play in reducing polarization and identity-based tensions and in helping to build bridges between communities. The Alliance benefits from the political support of the Group of Friends, a community of 160 countries, international and regional organizations, which actively promotes the Alliance’s objectives.

Learn more about UNAOC and our programming for young people here.

---

2. Young Peacebuilders in SCCA: Programme overview and timeline

Guided by the principle that youth are key actors in achieving peace and preventing 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 across different cultures and religions. This initiative aligns with UN Security Council resolutions 2250, 2419, 2535, and 2807, as well as the UN Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, all of which recognize youth as critical stakeholders in peacebuilding.

You may find more information about the UNAOC Young Peacebuilders programme here.

The 9th edition of the Young Peacebuilders programme in South Caucasus and Central Asia (SCCA) 2026-2027 is designed to strengthen the skills of young people from the region to tackle stereotypes, prejudice, and xenophobia. It provides access to global peacebuilding networks and increases the visibility of their innovative work, with the long-term goal of integrating young peacebuilders into governmental policies and processes.

This edition is implemented within the framework of the Peace4Culture Global Call, an initiative launched by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan in collaboration with UNAOC.

To participate, applicants must commit to all programme phases. Online engagement is self-paced/part-time, while the one-week workshop is mandatory and requires a full-time commitment. Participation in the results-sharing symposium is contingent upon the successful implementation of the local project.

During the programme, 20 selected participants will:

• Learn about stereotypes and how to critically analyze them to reduce their prevalence;
• Understand different perspectives in identity-based conflicts and gain tools to develop peaceful solutions to transform them at local, national, and regional levels;
• Identify push and pull factors that contribute to violent extremism;
• Develop competencies to utilize media and expressive arts to create alternative narratives and promote social inclusion;
• Design and execute successful projects independently.

Programme components:

• Part 1: online modules (3-4 months). Participants access the online collaborative platform, engage with trainers and peers, learn foundational tools and concepts, and begin reflecting on future peace actions. (Time commitment: 4 hours per week).
• Part 2: face-to-face workshop (7-8 days). Travel for the training, participate in a local field visit (if applicable) to observe successful peacebuilding implementation, and develop an action plan.
• Part 3: applied learning (3-5 months). Implement a personal peace initiative, guided by UNAOC professional trainers, while staying connected with peers and reporting on project progress.
• Part 4: results sharing symposium (2-4 days). Travel to a symposium to present experiences, lessons learned, achievements, and recommendations to a broad audience (practitioners, policymakers, media, and the public). Engage the audience on topics related to intercultural dialogue, peace, and security.

---

3. Tentative timeline and logistics

• June/July 2026:: call for applications
• September/October 2026: selected participants are notified
• From October 2026 until January 2027: selected participants take part in introductory online modules (part 1)
• February/March 2027: participants travel to take part in the face-to-face workshop (part 2)
• From March/April to June/July 2027: participants implement their peace activities (part 3)
• June/July 2027: Results-sharing symposium at a location to be determined (part 4)

Language: The working language of the programme is English.

---

4. Costs covered by the organizers

All selected youth participants will be provided with:

• Round-trip travel (international or domestic flight, economy class) to the city of the face-to-face workshop and to the city of the symposium;
• Accommodation in the city of the face-to-face workshop and the symposium;
• Meals and coffee breaks during the official duration of the workshop and the symposium;
• Shuttles or reimbursement of transportation to/from the airport and hotel in the city of the face-to-face workshop and  in the city of the symposium;
• Reimbursement of visa fees (if applicable) and travel insurance.

---

5. Costs covered by the participants

Youth participants are responsible for all domestic transportation to and from airports, including travel for visa appointments. Additionally, participants must cover all personal and incidental travel expenses, such as equipment, meals beyond those provided, souvenirs and other discretionary costs.

---

6. Selection of participants

Participants aged 18–25 will be selected based on merit, evaluated by their motivation, relevant experience, and potential to disseminate and apply lessons learned.

The selection committee will ensure balanced representation across age, gender, geography, and diverse backgrounds. Special attention will be paid to including youth from marginalized or disadvantaged groups.

Eligibility criteria (all requirements must be met in order to be considered eligible):

• Age: Applicants must be 18–25 years old. To be considered eligible, applicants must be born between September 2001 and September 2008.
• Region: Applicants must be citizens of AND currently reside in one of the following SCCA region countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan.
• Organization: Applicants must be actively involved (e.g., as staff or volunteer) in a non-governmental, non-for-profit, youth-led organization, network, initiative, or movement (led by youth for the benefit of youth). They must also have the capacity to consult with and reach a wide audience of young people, including those at the grassroots and community levels.
• Commitment: Applicants must demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, pluralism, nonviolence, and the fostering of peaceful and inclusive societies.
• Language: A command of English (intermediate to fluent) is required for effective participation in the online phase and the in-person workshop.
• Prior Experience: Applicants must not have previously participated in any UNAOC programmes. This includes the Summer School, Youth Solidarity Fund, Intercultural Innovation Hub, PLURAL+, PeaceApp, Youth Event at the UNAOC Global Forum, Fellowship Program, Young Peacebuilders, #YouthWagingPeace, Sport and PVE youth fora, EDIN, #DigitalGamesforPeace, and Sport for One Humanity.
• Passport: Selected applicants must possess an international passport valid until at least December 2027. Failure to provide a copy in due time will result in the cancellation of participation.
• Application: The application must be duly completed and submitted by the deadline, containing all supporting documentation requested. Applications that are incomplete or submitted in languages other than English will not be reviewed or considered.

Selection criteria:

• Motivation and contribution to the programme: the applicant demonstrates that she/he is highly motivated to complete all parts of the programme.
• Interest in themes: the applicant shows some experience in issues related to intercultural dialogue, peacebuilding, and preventing violent extremism through examples of initiatives he/she is part of or demonstrates a great interest in getting involved in this set of issues.
• Experience and potential: the applicant is at the beginning stages of his/her involvement or career in the field of peacebuilding and has specific goals to improve his/her skills and contribute to peace.
• Outreach: the applicant and his/her organization have the capacity and motivation to absorb and disseminate the lessons learned back to their community, organization, and to a wider network or audience.
• Future impact and follow-up: the applicant expressed his/her strong commitment to conducting personal peace initiatives in their community during the implementation phase and beyond.

To be considered complete and valid, the application package must include the following and be submitted through the online application system available at apply.unaoc.org/youngpeacebuilders/:

• An application form, completed and certified by the applicant;
• A motivation video – max 45 seconds highlighting applicant’s motivation to participate in the programme;
• A copy of the identification page of your international passport.

The word/character limit for each question in the application form needs to be respected. The application system automatically counts words and characters.

The application deadline is 31 July 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (New York).

---