H.E. MR. NASSIR ABDULAZIZ AL-NASSER
HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE UNITED NATIONS ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS
REMARKS AT THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN DEBATE
ON THE ROLE OF YOUTH ON COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM
23 April 2015
Your Excellency Mrs. Dina Kawar,
The Permanent Representative of Jordan
President of the Security Council
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honored to speak to you today and present to the Security Council, the efforts of UNAOC in promoting peace and tolerance through special focus on youth.
I wish to thank the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for organizing this important meeting, which comes with specific importance for the maintenance of International Peace and Security.
The chairmanship of his royal highness, crown prince. Al-Hussain Bin Abdulla the Second, shows a great leadership of Jordan as an active member of the Security Council.
As High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, for me and for the organization I lead, placing the world’s young people at the forefront of UN counter terrorism efforts, is crucial at a preventive level and in post conflict situations.
We know from our experience of supporting youth-led initiatives on the ground that peaceful and inclusive societies cannot be sustainably built without the participation and engagement of young people.
Two thirds of the world population, are youth.
80% of the world’s young people live in developing countries, with the largest proportion in Africa and the Middle East, two areas that have long suffered from violent extremism
And in most conflict-affected or post-conflict countries, young people account for more than 50 per cent of the population.
However, I find that—to date—our discussion on youth, peace and security has been limited, both in its focus and the degree to which it actually engages young people.
The cultural dimension is essential when addressing youth issues, in particular to protect their minds and hearts from the influence of radicalization.
I know how this body, the Security Council, has spearheaded the world’s thinking on a number of critical matters to global peace and security.
From the role of women in peace and security, to the plight of children affected by armed conflicts, to the scourge of conflict-related sexual violence to other important matters.
For youth, however, the international community still lacks a comprehensive positioning and holistic policy, commitments, priorities or responsibilities to fulfill the aspirations of young people around the world.
Here the role of the UNAOC comes into play, to complement the other efforts of the UN bodies and member states.
We are able to do so through practical projects and activities, thanks to the financial support of member states, specialized NGOs and corporate sector partners
I thank them from all my heart for their support and for believing in the vision of UNAOC.
Let me start by the fellowship program, where we sponsor every year young people from the Western and Eastern countries and conduct with them, country visits.
This program enables young people to understand other cultures and traditions, to believe in the importance of living with the others and to encourage them to reject violence that is cultural or religious based.
I would like to seize this opportunity to thank Jordan for hosting the fellows early this year, along with morocco and Qatar. And I’m looking forward to receiving the support of other countries that wish to do the same.
Consider for example the Youth Solidarity Fund, through which the UNAOC has reached more than 10,000 youth-led organizations and hundreds of thousands of youth around the world, with its grant making and capacity building workshops.
Or the Intercultural Innovation Award, a model example of public-private engagement between the UNAOC and BMW Group, through which we support innovative grassroots initiatives that are advancing cross-cultural dialogue.
Or more recently, the Entrepreneurs for Social Change, through which we are trying to address youth unemployment in Europe and the Middle East by launching social enterprises with a triple bottom line: social good, more and better jobs for young people, and profit!
There are other programs as well such as Plural + through which young film-makers get a platform to speak about identity.
Or the Summer School annual editions that convene young activists and social innovators from around the world for a week of training exercises here in New York.
We are exploring with other countries and entities, the convening of these editions in different regions and times of the year.
All these UNAOC programs are oriented around recognizing one fundamental truth: That the primary of agents of change—not just in the future—but in our present ARE young people.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Over the last decade, the world’s attention on terrorism and violent extremism has resulted in a strong focus on the role of youth, in committing terrorist acts.
We all know, that through media and the use of Information and Communication Technologies, youth get exposed to new and emerging threats to global security, but not only as a threat them selves.
Sadly, recent dramatic events have demonstrated how young people can indeed be seduced to commit heinous crimes and unspeakable violence, while also being victims of such acts and environments.
I deeply feel for them, in particular those living in zones of protracted and prolonged conflicts where their only mistake is that they were born there!
The age profile of some countries’ populations has been cited as a reason to issue warnings that a “surging” population of young men inevitably drives increased violence and insecurity.
While surely dramatic images can fuel the fears of policy makers across the world, it is critical to remember that; age alone is not a risk factor as such.
Many countries with a high proportion of young people have not suffered violence, due to advanced levels of GDP and social welfare.
In fact, research suggests that a higher risk of violent conflict exists in countries where youth “bulges” coincide with periods of long-term economic decline, limited educational and employment opportunities, exclusion from social, cultural and political participation and deprivation from equal opportunities.
Most young people do not engage in violence unless they were taught to do so by older ones, even in conflict settings.
While it is the case that in many contexts, young people comprise the bulk of combatants, the majority of young people are not violent and do not participate in armed conflict.
To be effective in our work, we need to recognize this fact.
We MUST look beyond stereotypes and general assumptions, pursue evidence-based approaches on young people’s participation in conflict, and examine the underlying factors through human-centered approaches.
Many young people suffer high levels of relative deprivation, discrimination and exclusion, and many do not fit with social standards of “manhood” when it comes to male youth, and yet most do not engage in violence.
There are societal, community and individual factors that foster resilience and reduce that small number of young people’s draw toward violence.
Studies suggest that “strong communities” and young people’s involvement in community associations expands their sense of belonging and that such opportunities act as important deterrents to engagement in violence.
Conversely, studies of child soldiers and other combatants suggest that the benefit of HAVING A GROUP IDENTITY and the privileges that come with play an influential role in their commission of collective violence.
So having a group identity matters. We need to partner with young people to assert positive group identities, and sweep the rug from underneath extremists who try to provide them with one.
But this is not the headline.
For me, the headline remains that young people are an extraordinary force of social progress, development and eventually; human advancement.
Young women and men are important drivers and agents of change in the reconstruction and development of their societies.
Today, youth are often more open to change, feedback and learning; tend to be more future-oriented.
Today they are more idealistic, creative, and innovative; and perhaps more willing to take risks.
Their ability to interact among themselves, with adults and communicate, is also un-precedented.
How do I know this?
I know this because we at the Alliance have seen this firsthand through our grant making and capacity building initiatives, such as the Youth Solidarity Fund, the Intercultural Innovation Award, and Entrepreneurs for Social Change.
We have hundreds of successful examples of young people who started their life as activists in the area of innovation, promoting co-existence between faiths, opposing social injustices and addressing sectarian violence and tensions in their countries through meaningful activities and venues.
Giving young people a stake in their societies during the transition period after violent conflict is important for long-term peace and security.
They often possess sophisticated knowledge of the complexities of war and peace processes.
The youth organizations they run are already playing important roles in peace-building, in many cases through youth-led and self-initiated activities.
That said, we must also recognize that in conflict-affected countries, youth structures, systems and networks, where they exist, often have limited political influence, weak capacity and are poorly resourced.
Youth policies tend to be underfunded and under implemented.
Few of them make specific contributions to peace and security, such as the need to prevent youth engagement in violence, protect young men and women from violence or promote the meaningful participation in political processes.
Overall, the evidence suggests that in the context of peace and security, many, Member States are paying insufficient attention to their youth populations.
There is sometimes a lack of trust and understanding, a lack of political will and, in some cases, limited capacity and resources to act.
But this debate is a sign that the tide is turning.
Under this initiative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Security Council is boosting the role of young people as partners in peace, security and in countering violent extremism.
To recognize the positive role young people can play, several entities of the United Nations – the Peace-building Commission, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, the UN Alliance of Civilization and others, in partnership with civil society organizations such as Search for Common Ground, World Vision, the United Network of Young Peace, published last year, the “Guiding Principles on Young People’s Participation in Peace-building”
These principles matter because they are a concerted effort by the United Nations and non-governmental organizations, to promote youth as active stakeholders, participants, leaders and partners in peace processes, including in countering violent extremism.
In closing, I firmly believe that these principles should guide our discussions in the Council today and in the future:
Young people’s participation is essential to successful peace-building.
Around the world, young people are already leaders of today, not just leaders of tomorrow. We MUST use this platform to help them amplify and scale their efforts.
I am personally committed to doing so, as the UN Alliance of Civilizations stands ready to work with the council and engage further with the UN system to address these questions.
In the face of violent extremism, ladies and gentlemen, partnering with young people and enhancing their dedication to peace, MUST be part of the solution.
I thank you.