Joint Youth Statement on Youth, Peace & Security: Strengthening Africa–Europe Partnerships
On 27 October 2025, Sustainable Cooperation for Peace and Security (SCPS) and Positive Peace Ethiopia (PPE) successfully co-hosted the Youth, Peace & Security Symposium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the kind support of the Africa–Europe Foundation (AEF).
The Symposium brought together 16 young leaders and civil society representatives from across Ethiopia for a full day of dialogue, learning, and co-creation. Participants explored the UN Resolutions 2250, 2419, and 2535 on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS), discussed the role of youth in peacebuilding, and worked collaboratively to draft key recommendations for Ethiopia’s forthcoming National Action Plan (NAP) on YPS.
As an outcome of this process, SCPS and PPE jointly developed and signed the Joint Youth Statement on Youth, Peace & Security, which reflects the voices, priorities, and aspirations of Ethiopian youth who are shaping their country’s peace and security landscape.
The statement highlights four key expectations for partnership between Ethiopian and European civil society:
- Capacity-building and mentorship for youth-led organisations.
- Peer exchanges and twinning initiatives to foster cross-regional collaboration.
- Joint advocacy and visibility efforts to elevate youth perspectives globally.
- Flexible and inclusive funding mechanisms that empower young people as co-creators of peace.
This initiative aims to strengthen Africa–Europe cooperation and ensure that youth are meaningfully engaged in designing, implementing, and monitoring peace and security policies, not merely consulted on them.
The Joint Statement serves as a tangible product of this youth-led collaboration and a call to action for institutions, donors, and networks to turn commitments into measurable actions.
🔗 Read the full Joint Youth Statement here: