UNOY’s Strategy for 2021-25

Introducing the Ecosystem

We like to think of peacebuilding in terms of a landscape. When soil is fertile, our natural world flourishes. The same is true of peace; when the environment is enabling, young peacebuilders thrive. As the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY), we are creating a world where young people are central to building and sustaining peace.

Peace is personal, and we know the power we have when we influence change as a united youth-led community. So, we introduce you to 5 young peacebuilders―Noura, Pablo, Ray, Musamba, and Sabeena―who represent the changes necessary for the peaceful and inclusive world we need.

Everywhere, young peacebuilders are planting positive seeds of change. Throughout her district, Noura is promoting gender equality, yet she is targeted as a national threat. In his region, Pablo is finding solutions to climate and conflict, but lacks the resources to sustain his efforts. Across the country, Ray is training their peers in civic activism, yet they are excluded from participating in peace processes. Within his surrounding counties, Musamba is leading conflict mediation and dialogue programmes, and still he is not treated as an equal partner in peace. In remote and marginalised communities, Sabeena is addressing violent tensions with creative peace education, yet her work is disregarded.

So, how do we create a peacebuilding ecosystem where young people have an equal and meaningful place? It starts with us youth powering peace, challenging and overcoming the barriers for young peacebuilders to thrive. We will prioritise the protection of young peacebuilders and their human right to civic space, riding the solidarity and resilience across the network. We will generate the enthusiasm and support that creative approaches to peace require. We will break ground with our non-youth partners to ensure the voice and agency of youth is present and commonplace in all aspects of peace and security. We will continue to transfer power and opportunity to our regional communities, increasing gender responsiveness throughout our work. None of this reshaped landscape would be possible without our networks, and we thank our partners for promoting with us a meaningful place for young peacebuilders to drive positive peace everywhere.

As young people in today’s peacebuilding landscape, we are more powerful, versatile, and organised than ever before.

Co-director Lorraine Degruson | Board Chair Laura Lasance | ISG Chair Tomas Furfaro, on behalf of the United Network of Young Peacebuilders

How did we develop this strategy?

In a network like ours, the process for developing the next 5-year strategy is as important as the content itself. It has been the perfect occasion to put into practice what we preach and be the participatory network where all voices are valued.

— 79% of our members directly contributed to shaping this strategy by attending one of the online consultations organised, and 40% of them attended all the consultations (during a pandemic!);

— 12 young elected representatives from our network validated every single step of the way and co-developed inclusive and empowering methodologies for member consultations;

— 16 young professionals in the international secretariat led specific parts of the process.

These are only numbers, of course...

Our new strategic plan is extremely solid, well-crafted, and most importantly done with the inclusive participation of all members.
~ Tomas, UNOY peacebuilder in Argentina

UNOY is not just an organisation, it is led by all of its member organisations!
~ Samar, UNOY peacebuilder in Egypt

UNOY’s Strategy for 2021-25

Peace Powered By Youth

Table of Contents

For the PDF version:

Introducing the Ecosystem

How did we develop this strategy?

1. Vision, Mission, Values

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