On 11 April 2019, the conference room at the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management pulsated with energy, as 40 youth activists from around the world debated challenges and solutions to ensure young women’s meaningful participation in peacebuilding processes in their countries and regions.
The message emerging from the two-day design thinking workshop dubbed, “the Peace Lab”, was loud and clear—speaking from the margins is simply not enough or meaningful for young people.
“We need to train with the intent of having young women at the table, not [merely] consulted with…but actually be part of those leading the peace processes,” said Nompendulo Mkatshwa, a youth activist from South Africa.
The Peace Lab, taking place at the same time as the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network were meeting for the first time in Africa, convened youth activists, young parliamentarians, as well as members of defence and security forces from 11 countries to identify existing barriers to young women’s participation and to propose innovative solutions. The design thinking exercises were facilitated by South Africa-based innovation social enterprise, R Labs, with the support of UN Women.
Design thinking is based on the understanding that sustainable solutions to social challenges must take the circumstances, needs, limitations, strengths and preferences of people into consideration. Using this technique, UN Women is engaging young leaders around the world to address some of the most pressing issues affecting women and girls.
Working in groups, the youth participants identified lack of inclusion and gender equality, negative social/cultural norms and stereotypes, as well as the lack of recognition of young people’s capabilities as the major obstacles to young women’s participation in peacebuilding.
On the second day of the lab, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka joined the session and encouraged youth leaders to continue leading the way. “You are owning the solutions, you are not talking about how you need to go to someone that must rescue you out of the situation …you are saying, ‘open the door, we want to be in, and we have a job to do.’”
Reiterating the critical role of youth in fulfilling the women, peace and security agenda, she added: “As we move towards 20 years of implementing UN Security Council resolution 1325, one thing that we are taking with us is the fact that the exclusion of women in general in peace processes has compromised the quality of the peace that we have. And who are we to exclude young people, young women in particular, when we know what it has meant to exclude women in general?”