Youth Empowerment for Parliamentary Engagement and Sustaining Peace during Elections

Youth participation in parliaments can significantly contribute to sustaining peace. This programmatic option highlights several ways in which parliaments may increase youth participation and empower young people.

Parliament & civic participation

ACTIVITY

DESCRIPTION

There are numerous ways in which young people have already engaged and can engage with and through parliaments, as young MPs and via youth parliaments and programmes for youth participation. Despite some progress in terms of expansion of youth caucuses and committees in parliaments to a slight increase in youth quotas, there is still room for improvement, for example, when it comes to leadership positions in committees (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2021).

Youth participation in parliaments can significantly contribute to sustaining peace in several ways. First of all, through inclusive decision-making and specifically by involving youth in parliamentary processes, young people are able to influence decisions that directly impact their present and future, addressing issues such as education, employment, climate change and social media. Young people constitute a significant proportion of global populations where, according to IPU surveys, only 2.8 percent of the world’s parliamentarians are aged 30 and under, with a recorded increase of 0.2 percent since 2021. By having a voice in these areas, youth can help shape policies that prevent societal issues from escalating into conflicts.

Young people need to be included in dialogue and reconciliation, especially in transitional and post-conflict societies. Young people are often quicker to engage in peacebuilding when trust in political institutions is weak, helping to rebuild legitimacy and confidence in these systems.

Young people can help mitigate distrust and violence: Engaging youth in decision-making can reduce the risk of insurrection and violent protest, which can be fuelled by distrust of government institutions. Youth inclusion contributes to trust building, which in turn strengthens peace efforts. If we reflect on the most recent youth-led violent protests in Kenya from June 2024, instigated when the parliament passed the government proposed Kenya Finance Bill 2024, we may notice how rapidly the protests spread and intensified, reflecting deep-seated discontent among the youth towards the political establishment. This attested to the importance of allowing all voices to be heard and creating spaces for dialogue. (GeoPoll Research, 2024)

Young people play an important role in elections and conflict prevention: Young people serve as monitors, educators and civil society representatives during elections, helping to detect and manage electoral-related violence. Their involvement in parliamentary and electoral processes enables quicker responses to potential violence, promoting stability.

Digital platforms as an entry point for engagement: As youth increasingly engages in digital platforms, parliaments can leverage these spaces to interact with them on critical issues, including peacebuilding and governance, while engaging them in conversations about the safe use of digital spaces including the topic of disinformation. Research conducted in Angola by the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) showed that Angolan youth have discovered the digital space, which is used mostly by the political opposition. (Institute for Development Studies, 2024)

Support to youth-led peace initiatives: Youth are often at the forefront of climate action and peacebuilding efforts, pressuring governments to address issues that directly affect their generation. This proactive engagement in peace and security matters positions youth as key contributors to long-term peace strategies. The 2022 Global Parliamentary Report suggests the need for governments to implement institutional reforms towards eliminating barriers to more young parliamentarians, empowering young MPs to effect change, and allowing young MPs to lead the process for shaping the future of governance. Overall, youth participation in parliaments promotes inclusivity, mitigates conflict and strengthens peacebuilding processes by ensuring that the young generations’ concerns and aspirations are adequately represented.

A multi-pronged approach would include aspects of capacity-building, awareness-raising, structured engagement, strategic partnerships and monitoring/closing of the feedback loop to ensure youth input is acknowledged and acted upon. More specifically, the following steps may be considered to improve youth participation in decision-making, ideally as part of a multi-pronged approach:

Training & education by the parliamentary education centre:

  • Curriculum development: Incorporating youth empowerment and parliamentary education within school and university curriculums will help build a foundation of political literacy among young people. Curriculum with parliamentary education centres would be developed in consultations with experts and youth organizations, youth MPs and other relevant actors.
  • Specialized training: Offering targeted training programmes on how to engage in parliamentary and committee meetings will ensure youth are prepared to participate meaningfully in formal decision-making processes. This includes specialized training for youth in post-conflict or transitional societies to engage in peacebuilding, dialogue and reconciliation efforts.

Youth-sensitive outreach and awareness-raising[1]:

  • Youth advocacy campaigns: Informing young people about their potential roles in shaping their future can be done through media campaigns, school programmes and community outreach. These efforts can focus on raising awareness about civic engagement, voting and participation in local governance structures.
  • Leadership development: Programmes that showcase young leaders and their contributions to improving conditions for future generations can inspire more youth to engage.
  • Feedback mechanisms: Establishing transparent mechanisms for collecting and responding to youth input ensures that young people feel heard and valued in decision-making processes.

Youth engagement in parliamentary procedures:

  • Rule amendments: Supporting parliaments in amending rules of procedure to allow for youth involvement in committees could formalize youth participation. A youth chair or rotating representation from youth organizations would offer direct involvement in legislative processes.
  • Youth advisory committees: These committees could allow young representatives to regularly advise on policy issues or draft statements and proposals.

Youth engagement in policymaking and monitoring:

  • Support for local youth organizations: Engaging local youth organizations in monitoring and contributing to policymaking, especially at the municipal level, can empower youth to influence decisions directly affecting their communities. A youth cross-party caucus, or mobile session of a committee dedicated to youth issues or even a mixed group of staff and MPs dedicated to education may hold meetings with local youth organizations. It would be highly advisable to engage local parliament MPs, also in a cross-party composition, to maintain a non-partisan position. This may be a potent forum for discussion since youth often do not get such opportunities on the local level.
  • Inter-party youth dialogue: Strengthening spaces for youth from different political backgrounds to come together in non-partisan discussions can foster collaboration, innovation and a sense of shared responsibility for societal progress.

Dialogue sessions:

  • Workshops on media literacy: Hosting dialogue sessions with youth on understanding information integrity and fighting misinformation, such as the example of UNDP Pakistan, can build a more informed and responsible youth population, particularly in political contexts.
  • Peacebuilding workshops: Engaging youth in dialogue on peace and security, as suggested by IPU’s Youth and Peace and Security paper, can enhance their understanding of their role in conflict prevention and peacebuilding, especially in volatile regions. Such workshops should be organized in the widest forum set-up and include parliament, UN peacebuilding, IPU experts and national experts to convey the role and opportunities as well as responsibilities youth may have in this process. It may be an opportunity for youth to learn about women peacebuilders and get engaged early on.

Parliamentary youth caucuses and memorandums of understanding:

  • Formal partnerships: Facilitating the establishment of youth caucuses and promoting memorandums of understanding between youth caucuses and political parties can institutionalize youth involvement and ensure their priorities are reflected in party platforms.

Political party training:

  • Youth leadership guidelines: Offering training and guidelines for political parties on youth leadership and empowerment can foster a more inclusive political culture where young leaders are supported to rise within party structures and influence decisions.

Strategic partnerships for inclusive political processes:

  • Collaborations with NGOs and civil society: Building partnerships between governments, civil society organizations (CSOs) and the private sector can create more inclusive political processes, ensuring diverse youth voices are heard.

Digital spaces for youth participation:

  • Forums and digital platforms: Creating accessible, youth-friendly platforms where young people can voice their concerns, ideas and proposals is key. Whether through online forums, youth councils or in-person consultations, these platforms need to ensure follow-up, so youth see the impact of their participation. Identifying and utilizing new digital spaces for youth engagement, such as those seen in the IDS research in Angola, can increase the reach and effectiveness of youth participation efforts. Social media platforms, apps and digital tools can serve as powerful channels for young people to contribute to decision-making processes on a large scale.
  • Research on youth digital spaces and parliament.
  • Involve youth in policymaking on technology, namely pre-legislative and post-legislative scrutiny.

[1] This activity should be developed outside, but in conjunction with, parliament so that the activity can run even when parliament is engaged with elections or in case of any other emergency.

IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS

1.

What are important considerations prior to initiating the activity?

  • It may be valuable to start off by selecting a representative sample of youth organizations and consider piloting the chosen activity in a few locations before scaling up, such that lessons can be integrated and impact may be maximized.
  • Establishing a youth caucus may be considered, unless one already exists.
  • Tailor the programmatic activities to suit the unique political, social and economic context of each local area. Flexibility in combining various options (ideally as many as possible) allows for a more responsive approach, though it requires funding.
  • Recognize the critical role of trust and established relationships within local communities and between (young) stakeholders. Building and maintaining these connections should be a priority, as they facilitate open communication and collaboration, which are vital for the successful prevention of electoral violence in the long run. Often underestimated, these relationships can significantly influence the efficacy of the initiative and foster a supportive environment for dialogue and action.

2.

Who is best placed to implement the activity?

  • Youth CSOs are key stakeholders, as lead or joint implementers.
  • International assistance providers with experience working with political actors and institutions, particularly in parliamentary digitalization and participation, may be well placed to support such efforts, providing advisory support based on best practices in various contexts.
  • Electoral and parliamentary interventions that ideally comprise both parliamentary and electoral support are best suited to integrate activities that foster meaningful participation through digital platforms.

3.

How to ensure context specificity and sensitivity?

  • Ideally, work with youth organizations that are run by youth to ensure context specificity and sensitivity.
  • Trust building: It is preferable that parliaments and the implementing partner have a strong relationship. If such a relationship can be established through this initiative, it would be beneficial to work on a demand-driven basis and identify relevant entry points that allow for building trust.
  • Consider lessons learned from previous flagship projects.

4.

How to ensure gender sensitivity/inclusive programming?

  • Mainstream parliamentary indicators (IPU/UNDP): Include gender-sensitive indicators in the evaluation frameworks for project results and resources frameworks, ensuring that the contributions and needs of women and gender minorities are systematically considered.
  • Consider intersectionality and work to advance the participation of female youth. In addition, it is important to pay attention to the gendered challenges faced by youth and involve young women specifically.
  • Engage women’s and – where possible – LGBTQI+ movements. Actively involve women’s rights groups and LGBTQI+ movements in the planning and implementation of initiatives.

5.

How to communicate about these activities?

  • Social media advertising: Boost the activity through paid advertisement via social media boosting.
  • Leveraging social media: Use social media platforms to promote activities and share updates in real time. Consider targeted campaigns that engage specific demographics and utilize engaging visuals and stories to capture attention.
  • Parliamentary education/outreach/communication: Implement youth-sensitive educational initiatives that inform youth about parliamentary processes and the importance of citizen engagement while also targeting the non-youth population to highlight the importance of youth participation. This could include workshops, informational sessions and collaborative projects with schools and universities and beyond (see also programmatic option on parliamentary education centres).
  • Support organizing parliamentary events: UNDP or CSOs may hold events that bring together diverse stakeholders, including youth, women and civil society. Overall, gatherings may serve as platforms for discussion, networking and sharing best practices related to electoral violence prevention.

6.

How to coordinate with other actors/which other stakeholders to involve?

  • Trainings and presentations: Conduct joint trainings with other stakeholders, educational institutions and community groups, to build capacity and share knowledge on best practices for preventing electoral violence as well as with particular CSOs, depending on the context and in agreement with the national and local parliament.
  • Collaborative events and conferences: Partner with youth organizations to co-host events that promote dialogue and collaboration among different actors. This can enhance visibility and foster a collective approach to addressing electoral violence.
  • Several specific actors that the SELECT project engaged that may serve as inspiration include:
    • Engagement with IPU to support the national partners to take part in the IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians.
    • Consider supporting young leaders training. An interesting example is the work being conducted by the Apolitical Foundation (a CSO). https://www.apolitical.foundation/
    • Trainings on accountability, such as the ones conducted by Transparency International.

7.

How to ensure sustainability?

  • Developing long- and short-term strategies: Create comprehensive strategies that outline both immediate actions and long-term goals for engagement and violence prevention. This dual approach can help maintain momentum and adapt to changing circumstances.
  • Develop demand-driven activities. Encourage youth to lead the process and develop relationships with the parliamentary staff as well as MPs.
  • Set regular events and ensure as many partners as possible are involved to ensure the sustainability.
  • Educate and empower youth to be drivers of climate advocacy or similar themes (water, clean air, etc.).

COST CENTRES

  • Training of the youth, national and local-assembly MPs
  • Information campaigns and social media boosting
  • Events and travel to local level because not all can afford to travel to the capital (venue, travel, catering, renting of equipment if needed for presentations)
  • Support to meetings, conferences and events.
  • Other activities specified under entry points that need to be programmed

LIMITATIONS AND CHALLENGES

  • Given the unpredictable nature of how parliament functions, build agile management and regularly update risks and indicators.

RESOURCES

EXAMPLES

Sri Lanka is the first country in the world to provide youth with the opportunity to be represented in Parliament’s sectoral oversight committees (SOCs). Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe made the announcement at an orientation workshop for youth representatives on SOCs, organized by Parliament with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assistance. For the president, the opportunity to participate in the SOCs offered young people a ‘novel approach’ to contribute to Sri Lanka’s development between now and 2048. To this end, they can “participate in the functions of parliament, not as observers, but as young representatives in the parliamentary committees.” Between March and July 2022, thousands of young people in Sri Lanka took part in mass protests (aragalaya) demanding a ‘system change’. This forced then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign amid a deepening crisis and widespread protests. “Following the publication of a newspaper advertisement, 535 youth representatives were selected for the committees related to 17 subject areas established by parliament,” senior government sources told AsiaNews. “These SOCs function with the participation of parliamentarians representing all political parties in the parliament” and the “chairperson of a committee can call five youth representatives each to assist its work.” Currently, the government plans to introduce certain bills on climate change and women’s rights, which will give the youths an opportunity to discuss them, express their views and see how money is spent and why the money is allocated to certain subjects and not others. A new Parliamentary Budget Office will be created with assistance from ministries. “It is our responsibility to start a new chapter through this approach,” said Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, as it ushers in a new “era of participatory democracy.” https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Young-people-to-join-parliamentary-committees-58395.html
https://www.parliament.lk/en/news-en/view/3005?category=6

URUGUAY: Parliamentary support for an inclusive public sphere and non-violent electoral climate. This UNDP initiative marked the beginning of a process of dialogue between young people from political parties with parliamentary representation to reflect on the current challenges of democracy and promote greater political participation among young people. This important initiative demonstrated the desire of youth to be part of the conversation through an intergenerational dialogue with the generation that lived through the dictatorship to build a better future.

UNDP Pakistan launched a youth conversation on their take on how to handle hate speech online.

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