ÉñÂíÎçÒ¹¸£ÀûÍø

On 15 December 2025, young people, representatives from UN Member States, and partners gathered at the United Nations in New York to mark the 10th anniversary of .

Back in 2015, Resolution 2250 laid the foundation for the UN's Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda, amplifying young people's voices in peace-related decision-making around the world. The anniversary arrives at a moment of unprecedented global complexity. Over the last decade the world has been reshaped by a global pandemic, a climate emergency, and a digital revolution that has both empowered and endangered young peacebuilders.

Looking back, moving ahead

The YPS Secretariat, consisting of the UN Youth Office, UN Peacebuilding and the , organized a to kick off the commemorations. While the event allowed Member States, partners, and youth leaders to reflect on 10 years of YPS, participants also focused on the challenges ahead.

A clear message echoed through the different speaker's contributions: achieving what Resolution 2250 set out to do 10 years ago requires renewed commitment from all UN Member States.

Ambassador Michaela B.E. Swallow of Sierra Leone unequivocally captured the role that global youth ought to play. "We cannot build a modern multilateral system while sidelining the generations that will inherit it," she said. "Young people are not invited merely to participate in the next decade of YPS, they are invited to co-lead it."

To get there, words must be accompanied by actions. Nila Ibrahimi, a 19-year-old youth activist and advocate for the rights of Afghan girls and displaced youth who was recently appointed as a UN Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), knows this. She urged all attendees to "roll up their sleeves and not only talk about the problems that need to be solved, but be part of the solution of building a better world."

Making young voices heard

A Peace Circle was held later in the day, building on the High-Level event. Part of the UN's Hear Us. Act Now for a Peaceful World social mobilization campaign, Peace Circles are tools that facilitate inclusive, inter-generational dialogues between young people and allies around the world.

The Peace Circle hosted a focused and interactive discussion on the implementation of Resolution 2250. Joined by a live audience, it examined gaps in youth participation and financing, the protection of civic spaces, and inclusion.

Youth speakers included other newly appointed Young Leaders for the SDGs: Adelin Pierre, Teodora Mileska, Nila Ibrahimi and Aishworya Shrestha (moderator) as well as Arif Abdeljalil, the African Union Youth Ambassador for Peace. They were joined by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming; the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Felipe Paullier; Ambassador Leonor Zalabata Torres from Colombia; and Graeme Simpson from Interpeace.

As Resolution 2250 enters its second decade, the path forward demands a move beyond dialogue to concrete action. The two complementary events in New York underscored the need for young people as co-creators, not merely consultants, in building global peace. The anniversary marked both progress achieved and urgent work ahead, continuing to transform the YPS Agenda from aspiration into tangible impact.