Statement [Made on Behalf of the Security Council, at the 8683rd Meeting, 12 Dec. 2019, in Connection with the Council's Consideration of the Item Entitled "Peace and Security in Africa"]

S/PRST/2019/15View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Presidential Statement of the Security Council, under agenda item X Peace and security in Africa, published in 2019.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Peacebuilding Peacemaking War Prevention Youth

What’s in this document?

6 operative paragraphs

At the 8683rd meeting of the Security Council, held on 12 December 2019, in connection with the Council’s consideration of the item entitled “Peace and security in Africa”, the President of the Security Council made the following statement on behalf of the Council:

“The Security Council reaffirms its resolutions 2250 (2015) and 2419 (2018) on Youth, Peace and Security, and also reaffirms its resolution 2457 (2019) on Silencing the Guns in Africa, and recalls the Security Council debate held on 2 October 2019, regarding “Peace and Security in Africa: Mobilising the Youth towards Silencing the Guns by 2020”, and further recalls 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,

“The Security Council, within its mandate to maintain international peace and security, notes the importance of continuing to strive towards durable peace and achieving a world free of violent conflicts by the United Nations Centenary, as well as managing shared challenges and opportunities along the way,

“The Security Council reaffirms the need to address the multidimensional nature of peace and security, and emphasises the importance of comprehensive and integrated approach for peace building and sustaining peace,

“The Security Council recognises that today’s generation of youth form the majority of the population affected by armed conflict; and expresses concern that among civilians, youth account for many of those adversely affected by armed conflict, including as refugees and internally displaced persons, and that the disruption of youth’s access to education and economic opportunities, has a dramatic impact on durable peace and reconciliation,

“The Security Council further recognises that a large youth population presents a unique demographic dividend that can contribute to lasting peace and economic prosperity if inclusive policies are in place, and reaffirms the important and constructive role youth can play in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and as a key aspect of the sustainability, inclusiveness and success of peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts as well as in post-conflict situations,

“The Security Council takes note of the provisions of Agenda 2063 that to achieve sustainable prevention of war and resolution, a culture of peace and tolerance must be cultivated in children and youth, among others, through peace education,

“The Security Council encourages Member States, further to the steps that are already being undertaken towards mobilising the Youth towards Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020, to:

Develop measures to create opportunities for the inclusive representation of youth to facilitate their full and meaningful participation in peace processes and at all decision-making levels, and include young women in those processes;

Promote inclusive development to support all youth as a key for preventing conflict and enabling long-term stability and durable peace;

Promote dialogue in all schools and training centres at all levels as well as integrate youth and youth-led civil society in efforts to promote a culture of peace, tolerance, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue;

Take steps to encourage the meaningful participation of youth in the reconstruction of areas devastated by conflict, to bring help to refugees, internally displaced persons, and war victims and promote peace, reconciliation and rehabilitation;

Take appropriate measures to promote the physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of young survivors of armed conflict, including those with disabilities, and survivors of sexual violence in conflict by providing, amongst others, access to education and skills development such as vocational training, to resume social and economic life;

To comply with states’ obligation to respect, promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals, including youth, and ensure equal access to justice and preserve the integrity of rule of law institutions; and foster an enabling and safe environment for youth working on peace and security, as reaffirmed in Resolution 2419;

“The Security Council also calls upon Member States to comply with their respective obligations to end impunity and further calls on them to investigate and prosecute those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other egregious crimes perpetrated against civilians, including youth,

“Reaffirms that states must respect, promote and protect the human rights of all individuals, including youth, within their territory and subject to their jurisdiction as provided for by relevant international law and reaffirms that each state bears the primary responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity,

“The Security Council encourages Member States to support initiatives and mechanisms adopted by regional organisations aimed at improving the participation of youth, including young women in peacebuilding, conflict mediation and resolution, including countering violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism,

“The Security Council recognises the importance of interactions between civil society and the Council and, in this regard, expresses its intention, where appropriate, to invite young persons, including their representative organisations, to brief the Council in thematic issues,

“The Security Council requests the Secretary-General, where appropriate, to consider including in his reporting to the Security Council information on the progress made towards participation of youth in peace processes, including disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes and interlinked programmes such as community violence reduction,

“The Security Council notes the independent Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security, “The Missing Peace” presented by the independent lead author and of the Advisory Group of Experts.”

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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