This year’s COP summit faces one of the lowest attendance rates in recent years and has made headlines for protests led by indigenous Brazilians. In this podcast, we talk to Ekaterina Dimitrova – a certified Youth Climate Ambassador who has attended multiple COPs in the UK, Azerbaijan, and the United Arab Emirates. In this conversation, …
Nigeria is one of the most populous nations, and one of the most diverse in Africa with about 250 tribes and over 500 languages. Nigeria is also home to various religions, with Christianity and Islam being the most popular, followed closely by traditional African religions. This makes peacebuilding and ethno-religious tolerance very important. Unfortunately, however, …
Read more “Youth Engagement in Peacebuilding: Lessons from a Nigerian Peacebuilder’s Experience”
Zone of Peace – reality, ideal or dreams? Growing up in the Caribbean, one would often hear the phrase “zone of peace” floating somewhere in the background of regional speeches and summits. It sounded soothing, almost like a lullaby meant to calm the region into an arguably false sense of security, the idea that we …
Read more “Cracks in the ‘Zone of Peace’: Youth Dialogue as our Region’s True Security Strategy”
Security vs. Liberty Security is often seen as a duty of governments, but in reality, it sometimes protects power more than people. Challenges such as terrorism, conflicts, refugee movements, or pandemics are frequently framed as extreme threats, and leaders often use them to justify strict measures. As a result, for young people experiencing these policies, …
“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.” — Hannah Arendt, The Banality of Evil As a 29-year-old peace activist who grew up under the shadow of UNSCR 541 and 550, I have always understood the urgency of peace and security. …
Image: FundacionLATIR The coming Youth, Peace and Security 10th anniversary has come as an ideal opportunity to reflect on how young people and youth allies – UN system, Member States, and civil society- have tirelessly worked towards a narrative that has placed them beyond victims, perpetrators or passive roles, but rather as crucial actors of …
Read more “Latin American and the Caribbean legacies on the YPS journey”
A Forest of Silence: Surviving the Anglophone War In 2019, in the early hours of the morning, on my way to school, I was kidnapped by some unknown armed men. With nothing but my books, dream and hope for a better future, my face was covered with a dress, thrown onto a motorbike and taken …
Image: Reuters Youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow—they are the catalysts of change today. Across the globe, their energy, creativity, and vision have the power to transform societies, yet their role in shaping peace and security is often underestimated. The adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace, and Security …
Read more “From Jordan to the World: Harnessing Youth Power for Peace and Security”
Welcome back to the BIGA Podcast! We are excited to bring you another season filled with guests from a variety of backgrounds from climate diplomacy to the artistic world to green consultancy – this season has something for everyone! The theme of this season is Green Politics: how climate change affects the UK at home …
“We live in a world today completely dominated by energy. It is the bedrock of our wealth, our comfort, and our largely unquestioned faith in the inexorability of progress … energy has become the currency of political and economic power, the determinant of the hierarchy of nations … access to energy has thus emerged as …