December 01, 2022 (Juba, South Sudan): The South Sudan’s Youth for Peace dialogue on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) was held at Radisson Blu Hotel, in Juba City, Republic of South Sudan, from 30 November to 02 December 2022. The Youth dialogue was held under the auspices of the African Union Commission (Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security) in collaboration with the African Union Mission Office in South Sudan, the African Youth Ambassador for Peace (AYAP) representing East Africa, local youth-led organizations, the Nile Youth Development Actions (NYDA) and the African Youth Action Network (AYAN).
The main objective of the dialogue was to build the capacity of youth in South Sudan for peacebuilding; sensitize and advocate for the Continental Framework for Youth, Peace and Security (CFYPS) and its 10-year implementation plan at the national level as well as engage young people, government, and policymakers for the development of a road map for the National Action Plan.
The dialogue discussed thematic areas on promoting peacebuilding, co-existence, and reconciliation among communities in South Sudan that aim at supporting the disarmament, demobilization, and integration of ex-armed youth into productive forces contributing to peace and development initiatives. The participants further discussed strengthening partnerships and coordination among the youth, youth organizations, and relevant stakeholders in addressing peace and security issues in the country.
In the course of the two days, the dialogue witnessed active participation of youth in plenary sessions, inter-generational dialogue, discussions with policymakers, YPS perspectives, group discussions, and networking sessions. The Youth for Peace (Y4P) Dialogue brought together about 70 youth, women and men, from all the States of South Sudan, Administrative Areas, government representatives, and policymakers who explored opportunities for young people to meaningfully engage in peacebuilding, more particularly, to support the Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development processes in South Sudan.
