Welcome to the British Institute of Global Affairs’ first thematic series! This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda and the passing of UN Security Council Resolution 2250 (UNSCR 2250). In the build up to the day of the 10th Anniversary, the BIGA team has been collaborating with key contributors who can showcase what the Agenda is all about! I will be personally contributing to this series but over the next few weeks, we will be joined by Youth Delegates, academics, activists, and professionals as we explore what exactly the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda is and how it can help the United Kingdom.
This first week is an introduction to YPS and as we move forward with the series, contributors will look at its background and relationship to the UK; the experiences of Youth Delegates; how YPS functions in countries around the world; and finally, the role of security in YPS.
The goal is not just to inform but to inspire. As the UK’s demographic continues to age, and as global issues increasingly and disproportionately affect young people, we need new ideas for how we can take charge of our future. With this opening piece, I want to look at some of the fundamentals of security and peace to provide context for why the Youth, Peace and Security is so important.
The Ulma Ratio
We hear the word ‘security’ thrown around a lot in the news, particularly in recent years. Most of the time, however, we do not stop to think about what it is exactly that we are securing. Is it the way we currently live our life? Is it ensuring we can achieve certain goals? Is it our sense of distance to the problems we see in the world? It is not a simple question. As a general rule of thumb, we are trying to secure our ‘interests’ as well as the systems required for their implementation. What those interests are, however, is a topic for democratic debate.
It needs to be understood that security rests on one critical element: violence. Each country has their interests and goals, and they have their methods for achieving them. But there is nothing to stop a country from taking what they want besides the consequences other countries can impose on them. The assertive country in question might be influenced by economic incentives or diplomatic persuasion but, without the threat of violence, there is nothing to prevent them from imposing their will over others.
Since security rests on the threat of, and willingness to use, violence; the implication is that security therefore requires people who are willing to risk having violence inflicted on them. In other words, to ensure a country’s security, you need people who are willing to step foot on the battlefield. In a clear crisis, when the threat is evident and imminent, people might band together to resolve the problem. But this is not security, it is luck portrayed as heroics. Security is a systematic approach to ensuring that a country has the personnel and materials available to organise a coherent defence. Part of this is a credible tax system that can fund a well-organised defence procurement programme. For truly sustainable security, however, a country requires people – young people – with a stake in the system that they are securing. In other words, it requires citizenship.
Citizenship and Peace
Citizenship is an ancient concept, dating back to the Greeks and Romans. The premise is that, for a citizen to participate in the politics of their state, they must be willing to contribute to their state. Whether by engaging in the important debates, paying taxes, or taking on military service; a person had to contribute to a greater good to be able to receive benefits that they could not achieve by themself.
Young people across the world are regularly depicted as the frustrating perpetrators of societal antagonism and violence. Even in peaceful countries such as the UK, youth are the great neighbourhood disruptors. In my hometown, groups of more than 4 or 5 young people (usually boys) are barred from local shops and supermarkets like Subway. Young people can be rowdy and disruptive, but treating them like a threat does little to resolve this point. The treatment of young people as a community nuisance creates a tension whereby youth are regularly sidelined, ignored, or only included as photo opportunities; their issues are disregarded and not granted credibility. Yet they remain important as current and future earners as well as being the primary demographic involved in military service and therefore security.
The Youth, Peace and Security Agenda has five pillars but one core idea: young people are not just troublemakers or a demographic to mobilise in time of need. Instead, we are active agents in shaping change. Working to resolve our issues has always meant investing in the future health of our society but the YPS Agenda takes this one step further by ensuring that young people are part of the solution and are able to shape the solution. Providing young people with the space to express their agency means creating a way to resolve the issues that can otherwise flair up into frustration, disruption, and even conflict. It means having societal buy-in for the state and direction of the country. In this way, the YPS Agenda does not just re-articulate citizenship, it offers a new perspective for how young citizens can contribute to a better country, and a more peaceful world.
The YPS Agenda treats youth as people with agency, individuals with something to offer to their communities, and ultimately as members of a society that can solve problems rather than just cause them. Fundamentally, UNSCR 2250 makes clear that young people are worthy of respect and being treated with dignity. With that respect comes consideration for their viewpoints, hardships, and ambitions. Incorporating the YPS Agenda would mean having young people earnestly integrated into our systems of governance – from town councils to Parliamentary Select Committees – to ensure that ‘youth’ is not just another buzzword but rather synonymous with conviction, discussion, and drive.
Conclusion
Age is a critical dynamic in citizenship. As our population ages, we run the risk of having a country led by, and built to benefit, older demographics. In a democracy, the majority steers the direction of the country but a democracy without a sense of citizenship is one that will skew towards selfishness instead of supportiveness. It means seeing a United Kingdom where we do not build enough houses, where existing houses become more expensive, and where tax burdens on young workers increase to offset the dwindling native working population.
The Youth, Peace and Security Agenda is more than just colourful banners and occasional youth appendages to conferences. It is a vehicle for raising the awareness for why youth problems are the country’s problems; for demonstrating that young people are not an expendable sink of commitments but rather an energetic force for good in the country.
For our security, we need young people that are on board with the direction of the country and who are willing to commit to its upkeep. To ensure peace within our country, we need young people that can credibly voice their opinions and take action instead of needing to lash out or stew with frustration and bitterness.
On that note, we welcome you to the British Institute of Global Affairs’ series on Youth, Peace and Security.