What is the WCA #Youth4Peace Forum?
The WCA #Youth4Peace Forum hosted in Accra, Ghana on from the 27th - 29th of May 2025 brought together 15 young peacebuilders from the Western Central Africa region.
The Forum was centred on national implementation of the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda. While some countries in the region have already implemented a YPS National Action Plan (NAP), others are in the process of developing one, or are still advocating for its adoption. The forum provided a timely opportunity for members to share their expertise, exchange experiences and lessons learned, encourage each other and strategise for the advancement of YPS in the region.
On the final day of the Forum, a roundtable discussion was held with institutions advancing YPS in Ghana to reflect on the the importance of collaborative ownership and shared responsibility in national YPS implementation.
Key learnings & recommendations
- NAP development challenges include low YPS awareness, weak implementation of policies, competition among youth & limited resources.
- Consultations are meaningful only if they are youth-owned, with inclusion, feedback loops, diverse representation & capacity-building.
- A truly impactful NAP must be youth-led & built on young people’s lived experiences, not just institutional frameworks & government priorities.
- Localisation is essential: Youth voices must be heard beyond the ‘usual suspects’, and NAPs must engage overlooked youth groups.
- While NAPs are valuable tools, they are not the only pathway for YPS implementation!
- Young people are using innovative approaches, initiating projects without funding & building stakeholder trust through consistency.
- Governments & stakeholders must move beyond launching NAPs for visibility, the focus must shift to meaningful implementation.
- A gendered lens in YPS is essential. Inclusion of young women, gender-disaggregated evaluation, & male allyship are key to building sustainable peace.
- Best NAP practices include stakeholder engagement, coalition & trust building, communication & experience-sharing.
- Political will must be backed by resources, accountability, & strategic framing.
- Aligning NAPs with national policies ensures coherence and sustainability.
We uplift ourselves by lifting up others.
- Simone Mbodé Diouf
This activity was organised in collaboration with the West Africa Centre for Peace Foundation & generously funded by the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.