Introduction

The concept of peace reflects different ideas and perspectives. Peace is classified into two categories: positive and negative peace. According to the United Nations (UN), peace is not just the absence of war but a state of dignity and well-being for all. To King Martin Luther, Jr., peace “is not merely the absence of some negative forces—war, tension, confusion—but the presence of some positive forces—justice, goodwill, the power of the kingdom of God.” 

The need for peacebuilding, according to the UN, began with the desire to assemble structures to promote sustainable peace by targeting the source of conflict and ensuring grassroots efforts in peace and conflict management, mediation, settlement, and resolution. Thus, peacebuilding is the duty of state and non-state actors in national and international arenas and for individuals irrespective of age, orientation, and ideologies.  

One in four young people are victims of national and international conflict and violence. This makes it inevitable to exclude youths from the peacebuilding and conflict transformation agenda. A UN study shows that, due to increased violence and armed conflict in recent years, over 25% of youth are estimated to be exposed to armed conflict and violence. However, despite the increased youth participation in peacebuilding, the second resolution (2419) on youth revealed that poor data in conflict analysis still makes it almost impossible to precisely estimate the number of youths living in conditions that expose them to violence and conflict. 

Youths Role in Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation 

Article 17 of the African Youth Charter notes that youths have strategic roles to play as peacebuilders and promoters of non-violent approaches to conflict resolution. The UN conceptualises a youth as any individual, aged 15 to 24, who is transiting from childhood to adulthood, usually at the stage of graduation from compulsory education and entrance into the labour market or advanced learning levels. The African Youth Charter of the African Union regards youth as anyone between the ages of 15 and 35. 

The UN’s first report on youth, peace, and security showed that in 2020, 90% of the 1.85 billion young people (aged 10 to 24) globally lived in developing countries. The UN's second report on youth, peace, and security revealed that since 2015, more young people have started to play important roles in peacebuilding as a result of the increased attention given to youth participation in peace-related activities. Through the Youth Promotion Initiative (YPI), established in 2016, the UN has funded 83 youth projects worth $105 million.

Youths’ significant role as peacebuilders entails that they engage in conflict management, resolution, and transformation activities. Youths have a role to play as agents of conflict transformation. Despite the relative novelty of the concept of conflict transformation in peace and conflict studies, it has been credited with contributing to lasting peace. The transformative approach to peacebuilding emphasises alternative approaches to mediating and ensuring sustained peace, especially in a conflict-prone area. Conflict transformation entails a multifaceted procedure for constructive peacebuilding. It involves individual reconstruction to improve inter- or intra-personal relationships as well as to promote personal or collective attitudes to peacebuilding approaches. As conflict transformers, youths are expected to imbibe and promote internal or inner peace that dwells in the heart, which can be transcended to their societies at large. According to Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher, 

If there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations. If there is to be peace in the nations, there must be peace in the cities. If there is to be peace in the cities, there must be peace between neighbours. If there is to be peace between neighbours, there must be peace in the home. If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart. 

When youths strive to uphold peace within, they become more likely to act as agents of peace within their families and societies.

Facilitating Youths Capacity for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation in Nigeria

Youths are expected to be peacebuilders and to display conflict resolution, management, and transformation qualities. According to UNSCR 2250 (2015), member states should support the five action strategies—disengagement and reintegration, participation, prevention, protection, and partnerships—to enable youths to fulfil their peacebuilding role. This agenda plays a significant role in the amendment of Nigeria’s National Youth Policy, which aims to create equitable opportunities for youths and improve their extensive participation in their individual and societal development. Through this policy, the Nigerian government intends to utilise the Ministries, Departments, & Agencies (MDAs) and the National Security Agencies (NSA) to encourage youths' participation in peacebuilding and conflict transformation. 

The Nigerian government promised to ingrain the ideals of peace-building and indiscrimination through the national youth policy and to create and sustain socio-cultural structures that will champion this goal. One approach to this is through educational institutions, which act as secondary agents of socialization, to help youths and children develop peacebuilding abilities. Hence, peacebuilding skills need to be instilled in youths in schools by promoting awareness of human rights issues through:

• Establishing collaboration between relevant MDAs and schools to host trainings and symposiums on human rights for youths at different educational levels;
• Encouraging schools to inculcate and strengthen the principles of human rights in their administration, prospectus, curriculum, and school environment;
• Encouraging young people to know their human rights (especially as contained in the Child Rights Act of 2003); and
• Establishing a human rights peer club across schools in the geo-political zones of Nigeria.

Conclusion

The former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the UN posits that peace must be ensured and fostered through individual “dignity, rights, and capacities.” Hence, there is a call to duty for every individual to ensure collective peace and security. Youths are major players in conflicts, and as such, they are expected to play significant roles in ensuring that after conflict settlement, management, or resolution, their society remains transformed and less vulnerable to conflict. 

An individual who understands the concept of fundamental human rights and how to promote them is a potential peacebuilder. When youths respect and promote their rights and those of anyone related to or associated with them, the rate of human rights violations and crimes will reduce. This will go a long way toward promoting Tenzin Gyatso’s position that “peace is assured where individuals’ human rights are respected.”