NEW YORK, AUGUST 28 – At a United Nation Security Council “Arria formula” meeting on “Reinforcing the implementation of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda for a peaceful and stable Africa”, Italy committed to boosting youth’s role in peace and security in that Continent. “We are proud of our partnership with African States, the African Union and other international organizations in the field and we look forward to advancing the UN work for ‘and’ with youth”, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Italy, Ambassador Gianluca Greco, said today. The meeting was convened by the rotating presidency of Ghana.
Africa is home to the youngest population in the world: approximately 70 percent of sub-Saharan Africans are under the age of 30. As recently highlighted by the Secretary General, the active participation of youth in decision-making processes “enhances the legitimacy of peace and security initiatives”. That is why the New Agenda for Peace calls for the Youth, Peace and Security agenda to be institutionalized and properly funded, said Greco.
Italy joins this call, and underlines the importance to operationalize this agenda at the regional and country level, by designing measures and mechanisms to make peace processes authentically youth inclusive, through the meaningful engagement and participation of young peace-builders, the involvement of the local and community and the civil society and the protection and support of young activists: “We also reiterate the importance to factor in systematically the perspective of gender equality and the critical role of young women in peace building”, added the Italian diplomat. (@OnuItalia)
