Youth, Peace and Security Agenda
Italy, an initial supporter of UN Security Council Resolution 2250/2015 and subsequent Resolutions 2419/2018, 2535/2020 and 2807/2025 on ‘Youth, Peace and Security’, was among the first countries to adopt a plan for their implementation.
Given that the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda traditionally consists of five pillars:
- Participation: it consists in establishing permanent mechanisms for youth and institutional consultation, creating spaces for multilevel dialogue, as well as promoting leadership and mediation training programmes. In addition, the role of young people in peace missions and multilateral processes is promoted.
- Protection: it provides for measures to protect young people in contexts of armed conflict, the strengthening of safe civic spaces, including digital ones, aimed at fostering participation, as well as the adoption of preventive actions in relation to phenomena of violence, discrimination and abuse.
- Prevention: it provides for the implementation of educational programmes in schools and universities on the culture of peace and non-violence, the promotion of awareness-raising initiatives on the risks of disinformation and radicalisation, as well as the strengthening of the Civil Peace Corps as tools for prevention and mediation.
- Partnerships: it supports the consolidation of cooperation between institutions, youth organisations, research centres, universities and international bodies, as well as the promotion of transnational partnerships aimed at mobilising political, technical and financial resources to support young people in conflict areas.
- Demobilisation and reintegration: it promotes the development of social, educational and work inclusion programmes for young ex-combatants or those affected by conflict, support for community reconciliation projects led by young people, as well as the enhancement of the role of youth associations in the reconstruction of the post-war social fabric.
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THE FIRST YOUTH, PEACE AND SECURITY NATIONAL ACTION PLAN (2026-2029)
The Plan gives concrete shape to Italy’s strategic commitment to implementing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, launched by Resolution 2250. It recognises the younger generations as key actors in conflict prevention, peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction processes, promoting their full, effective and meaningful participation in decision-making processes at all levels.
The adoption of the Plan was the result of a broad inclusive process, launched in 2024 as part of a working group composed of representatives of the Department for Youth Policies and the Universal Civil Service of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Italian Youth Agency (AIG), the National Youth Council (CNG), coordinated by the Directorate-General for Political and International Security Affairs (DGAP) and the CIDU of the MAECI, under the guidance of the Coordinator for the YPS Agenda. In addition to the institutions, further actors such as civil society, academia, research centres and youth organisations were involved.
The Plan is a strategic and operational instrument aimed at strengthening the youth dimension in Italy’s public policies and international action. It is built around the pillars of the YPS Agenda, while integrating cross-cutting themes such as climate, security, digital challenges, food security and the protection of cultural rights.
In addition, the Plan introduces a structured system of governance, monitoring and evaluation, with the aim of ensuring consistency, effectiveness and continuity in the implementation of policies. In this context, Italy reaffirms its commitment to promoting the role of young people as builders of peace, enhancing their skills, creativity and capacity for dialogue, and actively contributing to the strengthening of peace and security at European and global level.
National Youth, Peace and Security Action Plans