TIRANA – RYCO’s Local Branch Office in Albania, in cooperation with the United Nations Association Albania, recently hosted both the Youth Peace and Security Meet Up and Capacity Building Activity from December 14th to 16th, 2023, in Tirana, Albania.
The Meet Up, held on December 14th, gathered international and local stakeholders actively involved in implementing activities outlined in the UNSCR Agenda on Youth, Peace, and Security and other related UN Agendas. The event commenced with RYCO Project Manager Ms. Evis Myftari‘s presentation, acquainting attendees with the UN Agenda on Youth, Peace, and Security and delving into YPS implementation options and approaches tailored to the Albanian context.
Subsequently, UNAA Project Manager Mr. Klajdi Kaziu outlined the roadmap of YPS initiatives in Albania, highlighting the local-level efforts initiated by UNAA since June 2021, followed by the recent regional ones.
The Meet Up prioritized Agenda 2250, discussing its implementation in Albania and exploring ongoing and potential joint activities at and regional levels. The event, which saw the participation of 29 individuals from both the “Albanian Network on Youth, Peace, and Security” and RYCO LBO Albania projects, aimed to strengthen local-level initiatives, practices, and efforts while exploring opportunities for regional advancement. The planning and alignment of future actions focused on regionalizing the YPS Agenda as one of RYCO’s strategic priorities until 2025.
On the other hand, the three-day Capacity Building Activity, scheduled from December 14th to 16th, 2023, targeted youth and youth organizations actively involved in advancing the priorities outlined in UNSCR Agenda 2250. This activity underscored the significance of involving youth in peace-building processes. It aimed to enhance the awareness of these organizations and individuals to support the YPS agenda while identifying and mapping local, national, and regional key partners essential to decision-making processes in regard to YPS.
By means of interactive workshops, collaborative discussions, and skill-building sessions led by the trainers, Ms. Oltiana Rama and Ms. Rudina Collaku, the event not only encouraged but also empowered young participants to become catalysts for positive transformation in their societies through their engagement in YPS.
By fostering an environment where youth voices were not only heard but actively integrated into decision-making processes, these initiatives instilled a sense of YPS ownership and responsibility among the 20 participants, who are the ones to cultivate a generation of peacebuilders who are not just beneficiaries but active architects of peaceful societies.
The aspiration to build an inclusive and just peace aligns with adopting the YPS Agenda. This agenda, rooted in UNSCR 2250, underscores the vital role of youth in all stages of peacebuilding, from preventing conflict to rebuilding trust and cooperation after conflicts. Developing the Regional Agenda for Youth, Peace, and Security in the Western Balkans is one of RYCO’s strategic priorities until 2025. In 2021, the United Nations Association of Albania (UNAA) embarked on an initiative aimed at engaging young people in fostering YPS within Albania and the Western Balkans region. UNAA collaborates with the established National Network on YPS to fulfill the objectives outlined in UN Agenda 2250. Together with RYCO’s Local Branch Office in Albania, they cooperated on some joint activities aimed at empowering the YPS network and other youth to enhance local-level work while exploring prospects for regional-level engagement in the future.
