The Concept of Peacebuilding and Youth Challenges in Central Asia were raised in Almaty

11 February 2022

On 10 February 2022, the UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty organized a presentation of the publication on the Comprehensive Research Review on Youth of Central Asia: Challenges for Peacebuilding. Together with the author, Dr. Laura Yerekesheva, youth, experts and colleagues from UNESCO and other UN Agencies discussed the findings and recommendations presented in the research in a 2-hour online session.

During the event, Dr. Laura Yerkesheva presented a Research Review and how sustainable development and youth engagement in the civil, political and social spheres are linked to each other. This paper presents the key themes of peacebuilding, taking into account the main challenges, policy interventions and Sustainable Development Goals in Central Asia. The author notes that today such concepts as "Youth" and "Peacebuilding" should be used not only in the context of peace and the absence of war, but also to enhance the role and potential of youth as a driving force of global sustainable development.

After the presentation of the Research Review, the participants of the event had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the research with the author. In particular, issues related to the effectiveness of youth policy in Central Asian countries and programs conducted by international organizations for youth were discussed. Furthermore, the participants provided examples of successful practices of implementing youth initiatives in remote and rural areas, as a result, an idea was put forward to map such initiatives throughout the region for the exchange of experience between stakeholders.

The Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office, Ms. Krista Pikkat, noted: "In order to increase the engagement of young people in peace-building processes, we must join forces to help them resolve the difficulties they are experiencing and thereby give them the opportunity for equal civic participation".

UNESCO started this review in 2018 in order to understand the peculiarities of the youth in Central Asia, identify the existing challenges the youth are facing on their way to peacebuilding and to elaborate recommendations on how to address them.

The full review can be accessed through the UNESCO Digital Library by this link.

Permanent link: http://en.unesco.kz/the-concept-of-peacebuilding-and-youth-challenges-in-central-asia-were-raised-in-almaty