Young leaders say international bodies must treat youth as partners, not tokens, to scale peacebuilding

Ishaan Shah, the United Nations Foundation's lead next generation fellow, opened an online SDG Media Zone session on everyday peace and asked two young leaders how youth make peace in daily life and what stands in the way of scaling their impact.

Rahaf Abu Mayaleh, a Generation 17 young leader from Jordan and founder of the organization It's Like My Goal, said everyday peace ‘‘is not defined by absence of conflict’’ but by ‘‘the presence of opportunity’’ that lets young people be heard and supported. She described creating safe, local spaces where youth can develop skills and have their work recognized.

Kenan Feheric, a member of the United Nations Youth Office Youth Reference Group from Bosnia and Herzegovina, described his country as a ‘‘living example’’ of bottom-up peacebuilding. He said peace grows from ordinary shared moments and from young people who ‘‘bring fresh perspective’’ after the war that ended about 30 years ago.

Both speakers criticized tokenism in international fora. Rahaf said youth are often ‘‘included in conversations, but they are not truly empowered to be influence for the outcomes,’’ and she urged that young people be kept ‘‘in co-creation’’ of policies and programs rather than placed on stage for appearances. Kenan echoed that critique, saying youth are too often treated as ‘‘final consumers’’ of policies rather than ‘‘equal partners.’’

Rahaf outlined practical barriers that limit youth participation in many places: a disconnect between global platforms and local realities, limited internet infrastructure and access, gaps in digital and advocacy skills, and lack of supportive local institutions outside capital cities. She said online participation can help bridge access gaps but stressed the need for capacity building so youth can take advantage of opportunities when they appear.

Both speakers framed the solution as a shift in practice: international organizations and policymakers should move from symbolic inclusion to sustained investment in youth-led co-creation across fields such as climate action and education. ‘‘To truly scale youth impact, the international community needs to stop treating young people as a box to tick,’’ Rahaf said. Kenan added: ‘‘They need to start treating young people as partners.’’

The session referenced the UN Secretary-General’s forthcoming independent progress study on youth’s contributions to peace processes as part of wider efforts to understand and scale youth engagement. The conversation closed with Shah thanking the participants and reiterating that scaling youth co-creation is essential to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. No formal actions or endorsements were taken during the event.