Mainstreaming youth into AU’s peace and security agenda

This policy brief examines the progress and challenges of integrating youth into the African Union's (AU) peace and security agenda, focusing on the Youth for Peace (Y4P) Africa Program. It outlines the evolution of normative frameworks, the role of the AU's decision-making bodies, and provides recommendations for member states, regional mechanisms, and youth networks to move beyond tokenistic involvement toward meaningful participation.

• The African Union inaugurated the Youth for Peace (Y4P) Africa Program in September 2018 to integrate youth into peace and security discourse. The program focuses on four priorities: finalizing a continental framework for youth participation, countering the negative narrative that youth are synonymous with trouble, building youth capacity, and publicizing the positive contributions of youth to peace and security.
• The AU's Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda is supported by several normative frameworks, including the African Youth Charter (adopted July 2, 2006), the AU Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council, and AU Agenda 2063. Additionally, the agenda aligns with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2250 and 2419.
• The AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) has taken specific actions to institutionalize youth involvement, including dedicating its 807th meeting on November 9, 2018, to YPS, mandating annual sessions on the theme, and commissioning a study on youth contributions to peace and security in Africa.
• To promote regional representation, the AU Assembly endorsed five regional African Youth Ambassadors for Peace (AYAP) to work with the AU Youth Envoy, who was appointed in November 2018.
• In February 2020, the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly requested the institutionalization of the Y4P Africa Program within the Peace and Security Department, including the creation of a dedicated desk for coordination.
• The Y4P Africa Program has implemented capacity-building initiatives in partnership with organizations such as GIZ, the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights – East Africa Regional Office (OHCHR-EARO), and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra, Ghana.
• The document warns against 'tokenistic gestures' of youth involvement and urges youth to develop internal capacity and a deep understanding of the political, economic, and security environments to effectively engage with institutional arrangements.

APA

Ako, R., Ukpanah, M., Ibrahim, O., & Mamo, H. (2020). Mainstreaming youth into AU’s peace and security agenda. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-144.pdf

Chicago

Ako, Rhuks, Mfrekeobong Ukpanah, Orit Ibrahim, and Hannah Mamo. Mainstreaming youth into AU’s peace and security agenda. Institute for Security Studies, 2020. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-144.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ako |first1=Rhuks |last2=Ukpanah |first2=Mfrekeobong |last3=Ibrahim |first3=Orit |last4=Mamo |first4=Hannah |title=Mainstreaming youth into AU’s peace and security agenda |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2020 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-144.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ako2020mainstreaming, author = {Ako, Rhuks and Ukpanah, Mfrekeobong and Ibrahim, Orit and Mamo, Hannah}, title = {{Mainstreaming youth into AU’s peace and security agenda}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2020}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-144.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }