Young women building a more peaceful future

“When I first began to understand the meaning of youth, peace and security, I searched for spaces where young people, especially girls, were not only passive listeners but also active participants in discussions. These experiences helped me better understand my role in peacebuilding and showed me clearly that youth engagement is not a symbolic process but rather a meaningful one,” says Eleonora Tchania, co-founder of the youth peace network “16th Element”, reflecting on her first steps in peacebuilding. Today, together with UN Women, she is creating important platforms herself to promote the meaningful engagement of young women.

One such space was created at the event initiated by UN Women, “Bridging Agendas: Young Women Lead Dialogue on Women, Peace and Security and Youth, Peace and Security”, held in Tbilisi on 21 November. The event was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and the 10th anniversary of resolution 2250 (2015), and it brought together more than 50 young people from different regions of Georgia.

The event created a new and inclusive space for intergenerational dialogue, underscored the importance of youth engagement and bridged both agendas to strengthen peacebuilding. The meeting participants shared their experiences, discussed global and local progress, and jointly developed practical recommendations to advance gender equality and youth engagement in peacebuilding processes.

“The event demonstrated that young women are not only beneficiaries within the peace and security framework, but also actors, creators and leaders who shape these agendas themselves,” Eleonora noted after the meeting. “The participants’ discussion once again highlighted the value of intergenerational learning, feminist and youth-centred peacebuilding approaches, and the crucial importance of the early engagement of youth. The meeting demonstrated that such platforms could have a long-term impact on how young people—especially girls—perceive their role in peacebuilding.”

UN Women will continue to support youth engagement and create new opportunities for them to contribute to building a peaceful future.

The event was held in partnership with 16th Element, the Women’s Information Center and the Embassies of Denmark and Latvia in Georgia. It was organized as part of the UN Women regional programme “Women’s Increased Leadership for Resilient and Peaceful Societies”, which is generously supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.