“Women and young people are pivotal in maintaining international peace and security,” according to the United Nations. Indeed, when gender equality is emphasized from a young age, “peace and security interventions can help to prevent a new generation from replicating the same patterns and patriarchal power structures that limit gender equality.” Similarly, initiatives benefiting young women can help create more equal and stable societies.
“The United States has long believed that … when we lift up young people, we lift up women; and when we lift up women, we lift up young people; and when we lift up both we empower entire communities; and that empowering these groups, in their communities, creates a more secure and a more peaceful world for us all,” said U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
“Unfortunately, we also know that right now, young people, and especially young women, are disproportionately impacted by conflict. Violence disrupts their education and diminishes their job prospects, dashing their hopes for the future. It limits their access to civic spaces and squashes their economic potential.”
Nonetheless, “Against fierce headwinds, we have seen young people all over the world mobilize to respond to these challenges, and become the architects of their futures,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. “We must do everything in our power to support and uplift these … young people.”
“That is the driving ethos behind the United States Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, which affirms our support for inclusive political processes to resolve ongoing violent conflicts, with an emphasis on the meaningful participation of women and youth,” she said.
“Incorporating diverse, intersectional, and critically, intergenerational perspectives in peace and security processes [isn’t] just the right thing to do, it is the only way to ensure that our solutions are inclusive, impactful, and lasting,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.
“These are not recommendations that are being forced on countries by outsiders as you may have heard. These are recommendations that are being requested and asked for by the youth of these countries,” she said.
“Ultimately, sustainable peace and stability are only possible through inclusive decision-making processes,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. “So, it is incumbent upon us to work together to harness the limitless potential of women and young people, to work with them today and every day.”
