Launch of “The Missing Peace: Independent Progress Study on Youth, Peace & Security” by UNFPA and PBSO, with co-sponsorship of InterPeace, UNHCR, UN Women, and the Permanent Missions of The Netherlands and Peru

Excellences,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I am pleased to open today’s event and convey to you a special greeting from Mr. Michael Møller, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The Director-General regrets very much that he cannot be with us today and has asked me to deliver the following message on his behalf and I quote:

“We are starting the second day of the Geneva Peace Week with the unveiling of a particularly timely and relevant report: the Independent Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security titled The Missing Peace.

This report marks a critical milestone in our common knowledge and understanding of how and why young women and men contribute to sustaining peace. Indeed, they are the key “missing piece of the missing peace”, that the title of the report refers to.

Sustainable peace and development are not unsolvable challenges. In the words of the late Kofi Annan – “we have learned what works and what doesn’t work”.

We have learned that we need to address conflict at its roots; that we need to combat poverty, inequality and marginalization; and that we need integrated action.

The study, reflecting the voices of thousands of young people, recommends us to engage youth as part of a new approach to peace. Giving young peacemakers center stage in discussions is a strategy very much in line with the United Nations Secretary-General’s own vision of prevention, and part of the reforms that the Secretary-General has set in motion to rethink our work in the areas of peace and development.

Just a few weeks ago, during the General Assembly, the United Nations launched its first ever Strategy on Youth, which features peace and resilience building as one of its five priority areas. It commits the United Nations to promoting an enabling environment for youth, facilitating their participation in peace processes, reinforcing capacities of youth-led organizations and expanding opportunities for young people to promote a culture of peace and to prevent and counter violent extremism. These principles are very much in line with the key takeaways of the report that we are launching today and are key elements in the implementation of the SDGs.

There is no better place to have a global conversation on the findings of the report than Geneva, a city that offers the opportunity to articulate global policy and country action through the work of Geneva-based processes and mechanisms. Prominent among these is the international human rights machinery, which is fundamental to securing participation and enhancing accountability in addressing the root-causes that exacerbate violence and inequalities.

We have a lot of work left to do on this critical issue – and young people play an important role in the discussions.

A number of young people are with us today. We look forward to hearing your views.”

These were the words of the Director-General.

From my side, I would like to congratulate UNFPA on its decision to consolidate the response side of its important work and to do so with a base in Geneva. This decision will enhance UNFPA’s ability to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

Thank you very much.