SDF Participates in the Global Forum on Youth, Peace, and Security

Visioning efficient youth participation in international advocacy, peace, and security, the Social Developmental Forum (SDF) participated in the “High-Level Global Forum on Youth, Peace, and Security,” held in Amman, Jordan, on August 28 and 29 represented by SDF’s communications officer, Atta Khaled, through the MENA Coalition on Youth, Peace, and Security. Atta participated in a panel discussion on “Intergenerational Dialogue,” where he reported the session’s closing recommendations.

During the forum, a proposal from the Palestinian Higher Council of Youth and Sports was unanimously adopted by the Arab Youth Ministers Council, aimed at supporting the resilience of the Palestinian youth in the face of the Israeli occupation. Atta expressed his gratitude for being invited by the Higher Council for Youth and Sports to attend the Arab Youth Ministers Council.

Reflecting on his participation, Atta says:

My participation in the High-Level Global Forum on Youth, Peace, and Security as a representative of the SDF provided me the opportunity to meet decision-makers involved with youth in the Middle East and North Africa, including Arab youth ministers, the League of Arab States, and UN organizations. Through the forum, I was able to shed light on the suffering of Palestinian youth and the challenges they face in terms of peace and security, calling for their involvement in negotiations and the establishment of a just peace.

During the forum, Atta Khaled had the opportunity to meet with activists and youth leaders from the Arab world, exchanging experiences and discussions on national and regional cooperation. He particularly highlighted the opportunity to meet with Palestinian youth from Jerusalem, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Hebron, whom he could not meet in occupied Palestine.

Regional Lead of the Middle East and North Africa Coalition for Youth, Peace, and Security, Sarra Messaoudi, stated:

Our participation in the launch of the Arab Youth, Peace, and Security Strategy is a prominent step to promote our role beyond advocacy and programming initiatives. It provided us with the opportunity to engage with decision-makers, governmental officials, and other stakeholders.

She added, “As a coalition, we believe that the YPS 2250 is a youthful agenda. Therefore, it is crucial for us to collaborate in such spaces with all parties to ensure the efficient implementation of the agenda’s pillars.”

Sarra emphasized that the coalition’s representation of civil society and youth organizations, provides opportunity to explore spaces that are not usually available.

This empowers us the to speak up, express our aspirations and ideas, and ensure these spaces are bold enough to allow us to express ourselves freely. We are tirelessly working to ensure that future processes are participatory  and youth-led.

Arab Ministers Supporting Youth:

Jordan’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Mohammad Al-Nabulsi, stated:

The forum, with such significant Arab and international participation, sends a strong message to the world about the urgent need to end the Israeli war on Gaza. Jordan and Arab countries are keen on providing such platforms to send messages of support to the Palestinian people, urging for an immediate ceasefire.

President of the Palestinian Higher Council for Youth and Sports, Jibril Rajoub, remarked that Palestinian youth were born under the Israeli occupation’s guns and grew up under the bitterness of a stolen childhood and a denied right to a dignified life. He stressed that Palestinian youth are equipped with positive energy and have dreams and aspirations, just like youth everywhere in the world.

Mr. Rajoub pointed out that over 24% of the Palestinian martyrs are youth, with over 8,672 martyred students and 14,583 injuries in the past ten months. Moreover, 620,000 students in Gaza have been deprived from their right to attend school since the onset of the aggression, with most suffering from psychological traumas  and severe health conditions.

Arab Youth Dialogues

The forum is implemented along the Arab League’s Resolution 877 declared in Bahrain’s Summit. Governmental institutions, international non-governmental organizations, youth representatives, Arab Ministers of Youth and Sports, youth volunteers, civil society organizations, academics, and experts in peace and security participated in the global forum and were engaged in dialogue panels on intergenerational and intercultural dialogue in the MENA region.

Prominent outcomes:

A set of outcomes resulted from the forum, including launching the 2023-2028 Arab Youth, Peace, and Security Strategy. Participants proposed a set of recommendations, including mobilizing digital technology by creating safe digital platforms and applications to support peacebuilding efforts, developing effective action plans to implement the regional strategy on YPS, and enhancing the capacities of young people in the Middle East and North Africa in the context of peace, and security.

Other recommendations included establishing national and regional youth advisory coalitions/committees in collaboration with the League of Arab States, supporting democratization in Arab countries to enhance youth participation in political and developmental decision-making, and establishing a regional Arab fund to support youth initiatives and advocacy campaigns related to peace and security, designating an annual Arab capital for peace and security, and creating safe spaces (workshops, conferences, seminars, centers, etc.) across geographies and generations for dialogue, idea exchange, and discussion with decision-makers. Participants also highlighted the significance of quality youth-related interventions in peace and security to provide policy-level solutions rather than just awareness and capacity building,

The recommendations also stressed addressing the agenda from a holistic perspective, considering age, geography, gender, and disability.

Enhancing our Regional Efforts:

It is worth noting that the Youth, Peace, and Security agenda intersects with SDF’s civil and political engagement program. SDF’s representation and participation in the global forum reflects our international advocacy efforts for effective youth participation in peacebuilding efforts in their communities.

We are tirelessly deepening our efforts in the Middle East and North Africa, working with and for youth. We look forward to designing interventions and programs according to the action plans of the regional strategy for youth, peace, and security launched at the forum and adopted unanimously by the league of Arab States.