Project Goal: This Project aimed at developing a structured coalition of local CSOs, academia, regional & international partners, in an effort to coordinate advocacy for the introduction of youth-friendly processes, within the governing structures of the Albanian foreign policy, regional cooperation, and civic education domains.

Project Description: Guided by the vision of the UNSC/Res/2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, as well as, the perceived lack of an all-stakeholders coordinated approach towards its on-ground implementation in Albania, the Project aimed at starting a nationwide effort of coordinating action, pooling resources, and collectively strategizing interventions which would lead to the effective inclusion of young Albanians into the Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation processes. 

On the other hand, as Albania secured a Non-Permanent Membership in the UN Security Council (2022-2023 Mandate), the Project also focused on the introduction of a Youth mainstreaming component, within our country’s Plan of Action. To that end, the initiative was conceptualized as a co-design process, including grassroots youth actors, regional initiatives, and international stakeholders – that would collectively design a National Network on Youth, Peace, and Security. 

Such a bottom-up process was supported by accurate data from a nationwide Survey (Youth Perceptions on Peace – running from September 2021 to February 2022), as well as five local workshops. These events simultaneously served to familiarize participants with the concepts of Peace and Security, and conceptualize the activities of a “Peace Week 2022”, to be transformed into a yearly high-point of Peace talks and activities. 

In a nutshell, the overarching idea of this initiative was the  co-development of a YPS Network, which would facilitate strategic dialogue, better coordinated – and ultimately – more effective interventions towards the advancement of the role and space for youth participation in the peacebuilding efforts.