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Okeil: Civil society should play its role in implementing UNSCR 2250 to integrate youth into peace and security policies
Monica Mina: Promoting the positive role of youth is the real promoter of peace
Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights concluded the Peace Makers Forum activities. The forum was organized in the framework of Maat’s project on “promoting the role of youth in peace and security in the southern Mediterranean”, in Cairo, from 21 to 25 December 2019, with the participation of the young people from Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt. In which a number of workshops, round tables and sessions were held. As well, the participants came out with a number of initiatives to implement them in their countries.
The Forum tackled a number of issues related to international and national strategies of combating terrorism and the extent of their application; focusing on UNSCR 2250 and its “Youth, Peace and Security” agenda; as well as changing the negative narratives related to youth participation. The training also discussed how to formulate alternative public policies and how to design peace-building initiatives.
The training has been attended by a number of decision-makers in the targeted countries; to discuss how to include the UN resolution in national policies. The youth participants came out with a number of grass-root initiatives related to the familiarizing the UNSCR 2250 in Tunisia, an initiative to combat hate speech in Morocco, initiatives related to supporting refugee children in Algeria, and an initiative on youth and sustainable peace-making in Egypt. The youth also launched an online platform at the end of the forum as a window for dialogue and cooperation between youth, whether working in the field of peace and security or interested in it. Also, this platform is a link between the different youth organizations which working on peace in the Mediterranean region.
Ayman Okeil, the general director of Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights, stated that civil society needs to focus on its role in implementing the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2250, by emphasizing its pillars related to participation, protection, prevention, reintegration and partnerships, so that youth can be a means to combat and not make terrorism, especially in the Southern Mediterranean, in which young people share the same challenges.
Monica Mina, the project manager, stated that UN Security Council Resolution 2250 came from youth and for youth, and we “the young people” will strive to implement it at the national and regional levels. As well, Maintaining and promoting the positive role of youth is the real promoter of sustainable peace in the Mediterranean region.
The Peacemakers Forum (PMF) is a part of Maat’s project on “Promoting the Role of Youth in Peace and Security in the Southern Mediterranean”. This Project funded by the initiative “Seed funding for grass root initiatives on youth engagement in peace and democratic processes in the Euro-Mediterranean region” promoted by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe in the framework of the South Programme III which funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe.
