My Peace: No filters, just truth
First-hand blogs from youth living through crisis and conflict
Peace means different things to different people. But one truth is universal: peace is not something done to or for young people; it must be built with them.
With 50 percent of the world鈥檚 population under 30, this generation is the driving force of our future. Yet, many of them - often comprising the majority of those displaced and denied essential services - are living through crisis and conflict. But they are far from bystanders; they are the active peacebuilders, mediators, educators, artists and innovators on the frontlines of peace.
Here are some of their voices.
When protection reaches the last village鈥攁n activist's fight for everyday peace in Nepal
For many in Nepal, peace is not a signed treaty or a political speech; it is a lived condition entangled with caste, class, gender, and geography. For 28-year-old Aishworya Shrestha, a Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, "real peace shows up before tragedy." It's about investing in people and giving voice to those "who live with its absence in ordinary ways, every day."
Carrying the voice of young people to build peace 鈥 convictions of a Congolese former child soldier
Former child soldier Muhindo Kamate's journey is an extraordinary testament to courage. After putting down his gun and leaving the armed group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he refused to let the scars of war define him. Instead, he founded the Association of Ex-combatants for Youth Support to offer thousands of other young people an alternative to the violence.
Climate, conflict and courage - a Yemeni activist's fight for change
For Olla Alsakkaf, the fight for peace and climate justice is deeply personal. Now in its tenth year, the complex crisis in Yemen, fueled by conflict, economic collapse and climate shocks, is what drove the 30-year-old economics student into activism.
For Lesia Holoiad, a 28-year-old youth leader in Ukraine, the definition of peace is simple and absolute: "...peace means justice. And if justice requires a struggle, then it is worth it." Even as the war and the destruction continue to relentlessly reshape communities across Ukraine, Holoiad works daily to build her vision: "My peace is when everyone in Ukraine can study and work without fear, dream without limits and plan without reservations."
Refusing to be erased - a volunteer鈥檚 voice from Gaza
"We are not just numbers or headlines. We are people: mothers, fathers, children鈥攖rying to survive and protect one another in impossible conditions. The world must see us, hear us, and stand with humanity. Support humanitarian work. Advocate for safe access. And most importantly, don鈥檛 let Gaza be forgotten," says twenty-seven-year-old Dr. Tasneem Aboalkomboz serving as UN Volunteer in Gaza.
There is no peace without inner peace 鈥 a young leader's mission to put people at the centre of recovery
We talk about rebuilding cities. We talk about economic recovery. We talk about systems and policies. But we do not ask: are people ready, internally, to rebuild their lives?鈥 asks Jin Dawod, the founder of Peace Therapist鈥攁 youth-led, refugee-founded mental health and peacebuilding initiative based on a simple but powerful belief: there is no lasting peace without inner peace.
Resilience alone is not enough - A young peacebuilder鈥檚 pursuit of sustainable peace in Haiti
Peacebuilder and environmental activist Adelin Pierre calls his home 鈥渕y beautiful island of Haiti,鈥 where people are warm, enthusiastic, resilient, and passionate about life. Despite the country鈥檚 political and socioeconomic crises, what drives his peacebuilding work every day is the strength of his fellow youth leaders and the conviction that real change is possible for all Haitians.