Mansour Al-Ashabi
We, the youth, are only invited when it's time to wave flags or post stickers, and when we want to share our proposals, we are not taken into consideration. When we criticize, we are ignored. We have become the missing link, and the application of the concept of governance has become a mere term that we do not see applied in the reality of Yemen.
The outbreak, continuation, escalation, and repetition of the violent conflict all require expanding the role of youth and their participation in official and unofficial political processes and institutions. This can be done by improving the roles of youth in representative political processes and, more broadly, in the political processes and policies that directly affect their lives and the different and interconnected "paths" for building peace - whether through grassroots youth participation, civil society engagement, official political processes, or formal peace negotiations.
From the field study conducted by the organization "Youth Without Borders," which highlighted the youth's vision for peacebuilding in Yemen, 32% of young people saw the need to involve youth components in the negotiations, calling on the relevant authorities to implement UN Resolution 2250, which urged the consideration of youth participation and their roles in decision-making processes, from negotiation and violence prevention to peace agreements.
As the UN Resolution 2250 emphasized the application of the principle of partnership in involving youth in the development of peacebuilding strategies, and based on that, the youth see the importance of the continued involvement of local and international civil society organizations in implementing youth capacity-building and empowerment programs and youth initiatives to be a space where youth can participate, and support research activities that seek to shed light on youth issues and raise their voices to decision-makers at all levels. On the other hand, the youth call on the Yemeni government to implement a governance system at the national and local levels, and to open the door for youth participation at all local and national levels, which will positively contribute to improving the opportunities for participation in general. Therefore, the government at the national level should seriously consider involving youth in decision-making, whether at the ministerial or national entity level, or by forming an advisory committee or a national youth council to advocate for their issues. All official entities should also apply the existing, albeit limited, laws that promote youth participation, such as the Local Authority Law and the outcomes of the National Dialogue. The local and international civil society should also work on capacity-building programs that enable youth to play an active role and be ready for any participation in decision-making, whether at the local or national level. Donor agencies should also consider youth participation as one of the priority areas for intervention and support in Yemen.
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