Across Asia and the Pacific violent conflict and extremism continue to pose serious challenges to sustainable development and security. Since 1992, civil conflicts have affected at least half the countries in the region. Many nations are seeing more human rights abuses and shrinking civic spaces, leading to social discontent and fuelling narratives of violent extremism.

Across the region, young people are working with conflict-affected communities to end violence and transform conflict relationships. It is crucial to work with and promote the voices and actions of young people to ensure peacebuilding processes are inclusive and transformative, especially at the grassroots level.

The Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation on Youth, Peace & Security, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 16-19 May 2017, will consult young people from the region on peace and security issues, in order to provide a regional perspective for the successful implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250(2015), to gather inputs for the Progress Study mandated by the Resolution (including the gathering of evidence on innovative peacebuilding in the region), and to create an action plan for the continuation, and promotion, of peacebuilding and social cohesion efforts in the Asia-Pacific Region. Further information on the consultation is available here.

For more information and to get involved with the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda in the Asia-Pacific Region, please join our dedicated regional group (sign-in required).