UNSC adopts Guyana-led resolution to strengthen youth, peace, security agenda

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously adopted a Guyana-led resolution aimed at strengthening the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda within the Council’s work, marking a significant milestone as the international community observes the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 2250.
The resolution, UNSCR 2807, was tabled jointly by Guyana and Sierra Leone and adopted on Friday last, signalling renewed commitment by the Council to meaningfully engage young people in the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security.

Delivering a statement at the High-Level Stocktaking Event commemorating a decade of UNSCR 2250 on December 15, Guyana’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Trishala Persaud, said the adoption of the resolution addresses long-standing gaps in how youth issues are treated at the Security Council level.
She pointed to findings from the UN Secretary-General’s 2024 YPS report, which identified lack of trust between governments and youth, ageism, insufficient political will, and limited funding as persistent barriers to meaningful youth engagement.
“According to the Secretary General’s 2024 YPS report, youth participation in peace and security remains limited in most spaces on account of lack of trust between governments and youth, ageism, lack of political will and lack of funding. While the international architecture around the YPS agenda has grown over the last 10 years, including in the PBC and with the contribution of the PBF, as well as with the establishment of the UN Youth Office mandated to lead engagement and advocacy for the advancement of youth issues across the United Nations, the agenda has been less pronounced and considered inconsistently in the Security Council – the UN body with primary responsibility for maintaining global peace and security. To address this deficit, Guyana and Sierra Leone tabled a resolution aimed at creating some certainty for the YPS agenda within the work of the Security Council,” the Guyanese envoy said.
Persaud acknowledged that while the global YPS architecture has expanded – through mechanisms such as the Peacebuilding Commission, the Peacebuilding Fund, and the establishment of the UN Youth Office – the agenda has been applied inconsistently within the Security Council itself.
Further, although negotiations led to some narrowing of initial ambitions, she said Resolution 2807 still contains “significant measures” to advance implementation of the YPS agenda.
“While our initial objectives were reduced over the weeks of negotiations, the resolution contains significant measures to advance implementation of the YPS agenda, including the holding of open debates to discuss the YPS reports of the Secretary General, which previously was largely underutilised, and also support for the safe participation of youth briefers in Council meetings. Resolution 2807 also paves the way for in-depth expert-level discussions on YPS in country-specific contexts and encourages continued coordination between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission, and among UN agencies, on YPS as part of a comprehensive approach to peacebuilding and sustaining peace,” she explained.
Beyond its practical measures, Persaud emphasised the symbolic importance of the resolution.
“Guyana views the adoption of this resolution as an important signal to the world’s youth of the Council’s recognition and confidence in the positive contributions young people can make to peace and security,” she said.
The UNSC’s Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda is important because it recognises young people as essential partners in building and sustaining peace, rather than viewing them only as victims or security risks. With a significant share of the global population under 30, lasting peace efforts cannot succeed without the meaningful inclusion of youth in decision-making at all levels.
The YPS agenda places strong emphasis on prevention by addressing the root causes of conflict, including exclusion, inequality and lack of opportunity. By promoting youth participation, education and economic empowerment, it helps strengthen social cohesion and reduces the risk of instability before it escalates into violence.
Importantly, the agenda also challenges negative stereotypes about youth and highlights their positive contributions to peacebuilding, dialogue and innovation. By calling for genuine, well-resourced youth engagement, the YPS framework reinforces the principle that sustainable peace is built with young people, not for them.