DAVAO CITY (August 22, 2023) – In an effort to empower the youth as key stakeholders in fostering peace and security in the region, young individuals within and outside BARMM provided insights and recommendations in shaping further the Bangsamoro Regional Action Plan on Youth, Peace, and Security (BAP-YPS) during a consultation on Tuesday, August 15 at Home Crest Hotel Davao City.
The consultation centered on introducing the current draft of the BAP-YPS and soliciting contextualized comments, recommendations, and suggestions from the participants.
Notably, the outcomes of these consultations underscored the importance of strengthening youth engagement and leadership, particularly community resilience in the face of violent conflicts and extremism.
Guided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC), with collaboration from the Technical Working Group (TWG) members, the BAP-YPS stems from UN Security Council Resolution 2250. Adopted in 2015, this resolution marked the first acknowledgment of the vital role of youth in peace and security efforts.
The BAP-YPS presents strategies for involving young individuals in influencing the development agenda concerning conflict transformation, building community resilience against radicalization and extremism, and promoting youth-led peacebuilding to establish sustainable development.
The resolution of this document stands on five core pillars: participation, protection, prevention, partnership, and disengagement and reintegration, where the youth were grouped accordingly to provide a contextualized contribution to each pillar.
These pillars allow for the meaningful participation of young women and men in peace processes and dispute resolution and address the underlying causes of the rise in violent extremism and conflict.
The consultation was attended by youth leaders and representatives from Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Special Geographic Areas (SGAs), youth from Bangsamoro communities outside BARMM, which are General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato, as well as representatives from provincial LGUs, the security sector, and CSOs from MagCotSGAs, BARMM MOAs, and the UN Youth Thematic Group in Mindanao.
The public launch of the BAP-YPS is scheduled for September 21, coinciding with the observance of the International Day of Peace. (BYC PR Unit/AAA)
