Indian Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security

As a developing country, youth in India are facing multiple complex problems of education, employment and climate change etc.; but the biggest and most ignored is the degrading social fabric. This is worst for any society but specifically for India due to its diversity. This diversity is being manipulated for political motives using media and narratives to increase the gap. Discrimination, hate speech and violence have become so common that opposing these as a pacifist is an invitation to be labelled as anti-national. In recent times, India has also witnessed the growth of young people as a vital demographic and a powerful agent of change and progress. Young people, aged 15-29,  have the power to shape policy, influence communities for positive change and furthermore build and sustain peace across society. 

After years of advocacy by young people and youth-focused organizations, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 was passed on 9 December 2015, which is binding on all member states, including India. and It calls on various actors to recognise and support youth as peacebuilders, engage youth as partners and leaders, increase the meaningful participation of youth in decision making, as well as to prevent and resolve conflict and prevent violent extremism. This is Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda. 

India is one of the youngest nations in the world, with about 65 per cent of the population under 35 years of age and 380 million youth (15-29 years old). At the same time,  India has been lying in the bottom 30 countries, for years, in the Global Peace Index (GPI). In 2021,  India stood at 135th position, among 163 countries, and fifth in the South Asian region. Still, the National Youth Policy 2014 of India having 94-pager policy document, has the words like ‘education’, ‘skills’ and ‘employment’ been referred for 105 times, 71 and 45 times respectively but ‘Harmony’ for just eight times and most curiously, the word ‘peace’ gets no mention in the entire document. So, even when young people are among the most affected by multiple and often interlinked forms of violence that plague the country and communities, bearing enormous and long-lasting human, social and economic costs, India neither seems to accept this context and its adverse effect on youth nor address the violence from perspective of conditions on the ground for the youth.

It’s becoming exceedingly important to engage youth in policy discussions and inclusive decision making, as they have better understanding of the needs of other young people and since 1/3rd of the population is youth. Youth are at the forefront of harnessing the power of oneness and know their community better than anyone else and are committed to create impact against the challenges and limitations. Youth are an indicator of hope. Youth are the peacebuilders.