The United Nations celebrates a decade of progress in youth empowerment

Among these young people who made a difference is the young Afghan woman, Neela Ebrahimi, who fled Afghanistan with her family in 2021 after the Taliban took control of the country. As a prominent human rights activist since the age of 13, when she led a widespread campaign that successfully overturned a government ban preventing Afghan girls over the age of 12 from singing in public, she knew she was at risk of being targeted by the new regime.

After spending some time in hiding, she now lives in Canada, but she has not given up her activism. From her new home, she founded Her Story, an organization dedicated to documenting the experiences of girls inside Afghanistan and in the diaspora.

Ebrahimi told UN News: “I do my best to tell the stories of girls who were prevented from going to school. I managed to graduate, but my friends are still stuck in ninth grade. It is an emotional work, but I believe that if it motivates just one person to do something, then I think I have done enough.”.

An opportunity to raise your voice and learn

Ebrahimi was speaking to us at an event held on December 15 to celebrate the 10th anniversary Security Council Resolution No. 2250 of 2015which officially recognizes young people as active partners in maintaining and strengthening international peace and security.

Young people under the age of 30 make up about half of the world’s population, making them the generation most concerned about our shared future. However, they are often excluded from the places where solutions to our most complex problems are formulated.

Since the adoption of the resolution, the United Nations has supported a range of initiatives that implement the recommendations contained therein. For example, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia and Honduras have developed national and local action plans for youth, peace and security; The African Union held the first continent-wide dialogue on youth, peace and security, which culminated in the Bujumbura Declaration. To date, 11 countries, from Africa to the Middle East, Asia and Europe, have enacted youth, peace and security action plans in line with Resolution 2250.

Afghanistan, still under Taliban rule, is not among these countries. However, Ibrahimi, who has often felt like she is fighting a lonely battle, remains resolute and determined to continue the fight for women’s rights.

She said: “It really struck me that at the conference, I was in the same room with people I would never have had the opportunity to meet and learn about how they are implementing strategies to empower youth in their countries. Just being with them was a privilege and a great opportunity to not only talk about my story and amplify the voice of Afghan women, but also to learn from others.”.

“Act now for peace”

The events held in the middle of this month culminated in a peace circle, in which Ibrahimi, many other young leaders, senior UN officials, diplomats and academics participated.

The Rings of Peace emerged from a major UN initiative, as part of the “Act now“Pioneering. These are informal dialogues on peace-related topics, which can range from broad topics such as education, gender equality, climate and technology. At least half of the participants must be under the age of 30, with a focus on young people who are often absent from these forums and new to UN spaces.

The Act Now for Peace campaign runs until September 2026, and the discussions held at the Peace Circles will be used directly in a number of UN projects, including the UN Secretary-General’s independent study on the contributions of youth to peace, and a global statement on Youth for Peace.