UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting on “Youth, Peace and Security Agenda”

CAROLYN OPPONG-NTIRI_ARIAL_FORMULAR

UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL (UNSC) ARRIA-FORMULA MEETING MARKING THE SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE YOUTH, PEACEAND SECURITY (YPS) AGENDA

 

Mr. Chair,
At the outset, permit me to convey Ghana’s appreciation to Ireland for organizing this Arria-formula meeting on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the adoption of the landmark Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS). Cognizant of the important contributions played by young people in driving transformation, change and sustainable peace, my delegation is pleased to have been one of the co-sponsors of this meeting. We are grateful to our gallant youth peacebuilder, Ms. Nynar Arop Deng Koul, as well as Ms. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for their excellent presentations.

 

Mr. Chair,
While we pay tribute to the young men and women who have lost their lives in conflict situations in many parts of the world, my delegation wishes to recognize those that have exuded leadership in matters relating to peace and security. Indeed, there is the need for the international community to support the youth in fulfilling their full potential as a positive force for building peaceful and resilient societies. We must admit, however, that despite the adoption of Resolution 2250, actual implementation among Member States, including my own country, remains slow. Young people continue to face exclusion from peacebuilding and decision-making processes, rendering them unable to access the needed support to sustain their peacebuilding initiatives and conflict prevention mechanisms. Also, as we are all aware, the existential threats posed by several unprecedented global challenges have further stalled progress in the implementation of the YPS agenda. Regardless of the setbacks, my delegation is convinced that the Security Council, UN Missions and entities as well as other relevant peace and development actors can advance the YPS agenda. To this end, Ghana would like to make the following recommendations:

 

Firstly, to ensure the effective implementation of the YPS agenda and the meaningful participation of the youth, my delegation wishes to encourage the Council to explore integrating the YPS agenda in its debates and include more youth briefers in its meetings so as to revive discussions on the engagement of youth in the global pursuit of sustainable peace. In fact, the convening of periodic Arria-formula meetings could be a good example of platforms that can be utilized to build momentum towards the operationalization of the agenda. We are also of the opinion that just like the Informal Expert Group on Women, Peace and Security, the creation of an Informal Expert Group on YPS could be another useful platform to institutionalize and strengthen, in a systematic manner, the oversight and coordination of YPS implementation work through specific country-level analysis.

 

Secondly, Ghana wishes to urge the Council to work with UN agencies, Peacekeeping and Special Political Missions to ensure that these Missions are more responsive to issues concerning the youth. It is important that the Council ensures that the YPS agenda is reflected in peacekeeping mandates. We believe that this would better prepare Troop and Police Contributing Countries to implement measures that would enhance the role of the youth as partners in conflict prevention.

 

Lastly, my delegation wishes to underline that the Security Council can advance the institutionalization of the YPS agenda through the work of UN bodies such as the Peacebuilding Commission, which needs a more prominent role in the UN peace and security architecture. Certainly, it is paramount for elements of the YPS agenda to be incorporated in the Commission’s engagement in countries where there are conflicts, including in post-conflict and transition settings. In this connection, my delegation welcomes the adoption of the PBC Strategic Plan on Youth and Peacebuilding, which is expected to guide and monitor the progress made by the Commission in support of the critical role of young people in peacebuilding.

 

Mr. Chair,
In concluding, I wish to reiterate Ghana’s commitment to the effective implementation of the YPS agenda within national, regional and multilateral frameworks.

 

I thank you.

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