In addition to working with this group, the report also pulls from additional focus group discussions with 99 participants (45 women and girls and 44 men and boys) between April and May 2024, as well as data collected through a 3,640-person phone survey conducted between April and July 2024. Ultimately, the goal of this report, and the accompanying photography series and video, is to elevate the voices of girls and boys formerly associated with Boko Haram in policy and programmatic discussions to ensure that their perspectives are reflected in resulting interventions aimed at supporting their transitions to civilian life.

The post Picturing Conflict: Child Perspectives From Their Time With Boko Haram and Their Exit Journeys first appeared on UNIDIR.

Ultimately, the goal of this programme was to elevate their voices into policymaking discussions that will ultimately impact them and their peers. The report provides an overview of the programme’s implementation, including the curriculum design, participant experiences and key lessons learned. The report is a resource for decision-makers and practitioners seeking to adopt child- and youth-centred participatory research and programming approaches in conflict-affected settings.

The post Shifting the Focus: Insights from Conflict-affected Children and Youth on Peacebuilding and Recovery first appeared on UNIDIR.

The post Observations from Action Research and Programming with Conflict-Affected Populations first appeared on UNIDIR.

The post An Unfiltered View of Struggling to Find Peace: Photography Programme Pilot with Young People in Mosul, Iraq first appeared on UNIDIR.

The post Partners in Research: Participatory Research Training Pilot with Young People in Mosul, Iraq first appeared on UNIDIR.

In addition, surveys and qualitative research were conducted in communities receiving a large number of returnees from Syria – Mosul and Qa’im – to better understand community receptivity to return. The analysis herein of these unique data sources will be useful to UN and NGO partners working in the region to bolster their early recovery programming, as well as efforts to support reintegration, community reconciliation, and broader peacebuilding efforts. The report ends with an examination of key policy and programmatic implications of these findings.

The post Return and Reintegration Prospects for Iraqis Coming Back From Al Hol (Findings Report 32) first appeared on UNIDIR.

 In a conflict-sensitive way, this participatory tool helps researchers and practitioners assess the needs of people impacted by conflict, including those who were once associated with armed forces and armed groups. The tool was designed to be child-friendly, but it can be used as a way of introducing difficult conversations with adults as well.

This helps participants – particularly children who may not be used to being asked about their experiences and perspectives – to articulate the risks and challenges they face as well as the sources of strength and support they encounter in conflict contexts, including for those who have left armed groups.  

In August and September 2019, this model was pilot-tested through War Child’s VoiceMore groups in Bossangoa and Paoua, Central African Republic (CAR). The tool, and the pilot with conflict affected children and youth, were then presented to the Security Council as part of an Arria formula meeting on child reintegration on 26 November 2019.

Citation: MEAC and WarChild, High Stakes: Participatory Research & Programming Tool for Conflict-Affected Populations (2019)

The post High Stakes: Participatory Research and Programming Tool for Conflict-Affected Populations first appeared on UNIDIR.

Policymakers and practitioners face a crucial challenge: despite decades of disarmament and reintegration programming, people’s motivations to join, leave and potentially rejoin armed groups are often poorly understood. As a result, there is a significant knowledge gap as to which approaches are most effective in helping sustain the transition to civilian life after conflict. Without a nuanced understanding of these dynamics, interventions risk being ill-equipped to facilitate disarmament and reintegration, which in turn can increase the risks of recidivism and conflict renewal.

Identifying what drives individuals’ recruitment and reintegration journeys is essential for designing effective interventions. UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project helps fill critical evidence gaps and inform better-tailored approaches that promote and sustain pathways from conflict to peace.

Across six countries (Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Colombia and Iraq) the project has gathered fine-grained data that gets to the heart of why people disarm and demobilize, and before that, what leads them to join an armed group. This is done through:

• Quantitative methods (large-scale surveys of former armed group associates, former and current affiliates of community security and militia groups, and unaffiliated community members)

• Qualitative work (focus groups and key informant interviews)

• Other experimental and participatory approaches (such as research and photography workshops with conflict-affected youth).

A holistic assessment of conflict trajectories

UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project adopts a holistic approach to understanding reintegration progress. It examines former associates’ reintegration journeys through various dimensions, including economic, social and psychological well-being and perceptions of community trust and acceptance. This multifaceted approach helps examine the progress and challenges people face on their reintegration journeys and how different factors – including livelihood difficulties, environmental challenges, governance policies and gender norms – affect transitions to civilian life.

For individuals to disarm fully and permanently, it is important that they manage to establish civilian livelihoods and find ways to reintegrate into social life. This can be difficult amid ongoing insecurity, structural barriers or other factors.

In Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, for instance, the project found that individuals who left Boko Haram often felt physically threatened by their old group and faced significant obstacles in finding new income sources, partly due to restrictions on farming.

The concern with returnees who continue to feel unsafe after demobilizing or who struggle to meet their basic needs is that they may retain weapons to protect themselves or take up arms for their economic survival. Both outcomes can have destabilizing effects and undermine weapons collection programmes.

© 2015, ICRC/Jesus Andres Serrano Redondo

Measuring progress over time

Alongside its holistic assessment, a distinctive feature of the Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project is its longitudinal approach, following former associates and returnees for up to four consecutive years. This has allowed researchers to assess reintegration over time rather than through a single snapshot. It also makes it possible to identify factors that support or impede progress, such as receiving programming support or civil documentation.

The project’s findings confirm that reintegration is not an event but a long-term process shaped by individual, community and societal factors.

Disarmament and reintegration programmes therefore need to take into account what motivates individuals to disarm, their sources of resilience and the barriers that former associates may face for years after leaving their group, to better support them on their pathways away from conflict.

Addressing armed group recruitment to improve conflict prevention

Another important aspect of interrupting conflict cycles and preventing new ones from forming is to address the root causes of armed group recruitment and weapons proliferation. To better understand the drivers of armed violence, the project has collected robust evidence about people’s entries into armed groups. For instance, in a survey in the North East of Nigeria, around a quarter of respondents formerly associated with Boko Haram reported that they were promised something by the group when they initially became associated. These incentives included promises of economic well-being, but also education, a sense of belonging, assistance with marriage and safety from violence.

By unpacking the factors that influence recruitment, the project helps improve understanding of the root causes of conflict and supports partners in adapting prevention and peacebuilding strategies to people’s needs and realities on the ground. For example, the project has shown how climatic and environmental pressures can create conditions favourable to armed recruitment.

Across multiple surveys in the Lake Chad Basin, a notable percentage of former Boko Haram associates who reported climate-related livelihood difficulties before joining the group said that these difficulties played a role in their recruitment.

UNIDIR continues to explore the links between climate change and armed group involvement and behaviour to help identify emerging conflict risks and ensure that interventions remain responsive to changing conditions.

Through its holistic, comparative approach across multiple case studies, the project has shown that recruitment dynamics can be highly context-specific and vary significantly across settings. In Colombia, for instance, UNIDIR’s research found that some survivors of sexual violence from the Nasa Indigenous communities of northern Cauca joined FARC dissident groups in search of justice, in part because the mechanisms available in their communities failed to deliver justice and accountability for perpetrators.

The project works with local partners and communities across conflict settings to disseminate its research findings and supports them in adopting evidence-based approaches that respond to local needs. Its research contributes to improving understanding of why individuals enter armed groups and acquire weapons. This nuanced knowledge is crucial to inform and support conflict prevention initiatives, which are often underprioritized but vital elements of a comprehensive disarmament strategy.

© 2020, ICRC/Prichilla Absi

The two-way reality of reintegration

The reintegration of former associates of armed groups is not a one-way process. For them to return to civilian life, they need to be received and accepted by the communities to which they return. Given this reality, UNIDIR also gathers evidence about the lived experiences of unaffiliated communities affected by conflict.

This is important for two reasons:

1. It helps understand how communities are affected by and cope with insecurity and conflict, and how aid programmes can be tailored to address their needs and assist victims and survivors.
   
2. It provides a fuller picture of reintegration progress.

The project’s nuanced approach is essential in this regard, because although superficial measures of acceptance can seem high in some cases, qualitative analysis can reveal specific instances of rejection or discrimination against returnees.

In Iraq, for example, the high acceptance rates reported by Iraqi returnees from Al-Hol camp in Syria, who were often perceived to be affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, were not necessarily mirrored by the perceptions of community members living in the same areas of return to the same extent.

UNIDIR’s evidence can uncover specific barriers that need to be addressed by policies and interventions in conflict-affected communities to promote receptivity in practice. By underlining the importance of investing in returnees’ community entry and promoting social cohesion, this research helps strengthen reintegration support and the prospects of sustainable transitions away from conflict.

Evidence to inform policy and practice

The project builds on UNIDIR’s expertise in disarmament by taking into consideration the multifaceted dimensions of human security and integrating a people-centred approach to disarmament and reintegration programming. Through collaboration with UN, regional, national and local partners, the Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project equips practitioners and policymakers with high-quality, evidence-based information that fills critical knowledge gaps.

Earlier in the year, the project was shortlisted for the first edition of the UN 2.0 Awards, which recognize UN system initiatives that are achieving outstanding results through new ways of working and new solutions.

UNIDIR’s work helps inform the international community’s design and implementation of effective interventions that assist individuals and their communities in transitioning away from violent conflict and building durable peace.

The post Championing a people-centred approach to disarmament and reintegration first appeared on UNIDIR.

A panel of youth and experts selected six outstanding submissions from Bangladesh, France, Malawi, Mongolia, Nigeria and Ukraine for their originality, thematic relevance, and thoughtful visual storytelling. 100cameras awarded these young photographers with digital cameras and online photography training to support their continued creativity and advocacy for peace. These are their visions of peace:

Tumenkhuslen, Mongolia

Above noise and chaos
There is this serenity in ordinary things.
Clear vision on the sky
Longed for so long
Still scene of vast steppe.

Lynda, France

On the heights of Fort Gouraya, a Barbary macaque watches over the city of Bejaïa as the sun sets.

For me, this moment represents peace. The beauty of nature rising above human life, reminding us that the natural world is timeless, protective, and greater than us.

Peace is found when we let nature breathe, when we live in harmony with it, and when we remember that it quietly watches over us all.

Roshan, Malawi

Peace is the quiet of a long road with no rush! The empty, open road gives a feeling of freedom, no pressure, no noise just a quiet space to breathe.

Tall trees lined up perfectly literally shows that peace is nature standing still! It gives a sense of stability, grounding and more importantly sense of order!

All in all, peace is the journey not the destination. Just like a quiet drive where your mind finally goes silent, yet you can hear your own thoughts clearly!

And yes peace. Peace is the soft light and clear skies because it relaxes your chest instantly!

Anastasiya, Ukraine

This image comprises the full spectrum of colours that influence not just the mood but also the thoughts they evoke.

The white-lit St Catherine Church has always been a sanctuary for peace in all places and for all people. Standing in the darkness alone, it silently sends and invitation to anyone in need of refuge – both for body and soul – offering a physical shelter and a place to be heard.

It is one of the very few places in this small Ukrainian border town where people come with hope that the light of peace will prevail over the embers of war.

Musa, Nigeria

This place once echoed with fear and silence. Insurgency had stripped it of laughter, trust and life.

Today, standing by the still waters where wildflowers bloom, I see a different story unfolding.

A promise that peace can return, that what was broken can be rebuilt, and that tomorrow can hold shade, fruit and joy.

Imran, Bangladesh

This Rohingya woman is collecting discarded plastic inside the refugee camp. She sells these scraps to earn a small income. This everyday action represents resilience, responsibility and strength in a place where opportunities are limited. The barbed wire fence behind her reminds us of displacement and a life defined by borders. Yet she continues forward, with purpose. Her act may seem small, but it symbolizes dignity and determination.

This image shows how strength is shaped not only by big moments, but by the quiet, persistent effort to care for oneself and one’s family even when life is difficult.

Amplifying youth voices in peacebuilding

The Youth Visions of Peace campaign reflects UNIDIR’s continued commitment to meaningful youth participation in conversations about peace, security and disarmament. It meets young people where they are – through photography, storytelling and social media – amplifying underrepresented perspectives that are often overlooked.

UNIDIR and its Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project remain committed to engaging young people through participatory research and creating spaces where their voices directly shape the policies and processes that affect their present and future.

The post Global youth envision peace through photography first appeared on UNIDIR.

In 2024 alone, over 41,370 grave violations were committed against children living in conflict including killing, maiming and the recruitment of child soldiers. UNICEF estimates that more than 473 million children – one in six worldwide – are living in areas directly affected by violence.

In many conflict-affected contexts, youth make up the majority of the population and are disproportionately impacted by violence (e.g. in Gaza, nearly 70% of the population is under 30). Despite the impact of war on young people, children and youth are rarely heard or seen in the rooms where peace is discussed and decisions are made.

Our exclusion from peace processes isn’t just a missed opportunity – it is what allows cycles of violence to continue. This is not only a policy failure; it is a moral one.

Behind the numbers

But behind these statistics are real lives and voices – like that of Kawthar, a young woman from Iraq, who shares her story:

My childhood memories of Mosul echo the sounds of war, the loss of security, and the departure of many of my family members. I would wake up every day in fear, and sometimes the sounds of explosions would visit me in my dreams, waking me up terrified. Many of those around me disappeared, and our home was transformed into a painful void. Eventually, we were forced to leave our home and live in a camp – suffocating in the heat – where I witnessed things no child should ever see. My suffering didn’t end with the end of the war. I wasn’t to blame for what happened, but I lived it. I abandoned my studies and dreams. Everything I once loved felt heavy. Still, I carried a lot of pain inside me, but it turned into a motivation to continue, and to tell the world: I am here, despite everything.

Kawthar Younis, 21-year-old, Mosul, Iraq

Kawthar’s story is one of many that rarely make the headlines. But her message echoes far beyond Iraq.

Shared struggles, shared strength

In Malawi, I have witnessed a similar truth. I‘ve seen firsthand the toll of war in the region. I have met young people fleeing violence in Mozambique, Rwanda and Burundi – their dreams interrupted, but not lost. In my work in refugee camps, I have listened to their stories. These experiences shaped my conviction that young people are not just survivors of conflict, they are leaders in the pursuit of peace.

How conflict has manifested in our homelands is different, but many of our experiences are the same. Kawthar reflected, “Young people were mentioned in plans, but our real opinions are rarely heard. We know our pain better than anyone. We understand our streets and the tragedies of our homes. So why are our voices excluded when solutions are made?”

While most youth is disregarded in peacebuilding, Kawthar and I have been lucky to have some opportunities and we’ve seen the transformative power of including young people in discussions in building peace. In 2022, I co-founded the Clean Cities Project in Lilongwe, Malawi, originally focused on climate action and youth empowerment. Over time, our work evolved to include peacebuilding, recognizing the deep connections between climate security and resource-based conflict. To help prevent young people from being drawn into cycles of violence, we mobilized and trained youth in green skills, equipping them with tools for economic empowerment.

In 2023, Kawthar joined a photography and research programme in Mosul, organized by UNIDIR, 100cameras, War Child, and UNICEF.

It was the first time I held a camera, but the goal wasn’t just to take pictures; it was much deeper. Every photo I took carried something my words couldn’t express. Photography gave me a voice. The camera was like a translator for my heart. A year later I returned as a facilitator, helping other young people express their feelings through their lenses. I no longer felt alone – I was now capable of supporting others, just as I wished someone had supported me at the beginning of my journey.

Kawthar Younis

Reframing the narrative

Through photography, I tried to challenge the image of Mosul as only a city of war. I saw something else: Children laughing despite the devastation, mothers enduring fatigue and loss, and broken young people building hope from rubble. My photos carried a message: We are not finished. And we will not finish.

Kawthar Younis

Kawthar and I have both seen the power of photography and storytelling. They are universal languages that transcend literacy, status and borders. A single photograph can document injustice, reimagine futures, and humanize lives that policy and politics frequently overlook.

This belief is what drives Youth Visions of Peace, a global campaign launched by UNIDIR in partnership with 100cameras and War Child. It invites young people worldwide to share photos that reflect their own visions of peace – grounded in experience and hope. This is not a competition, but a platform for authentic expression. A diverse panel of youth and experts will curate submissions, which will be featured across global platforms and exhibitions.

A call for structural change

But we need more than visibility. We need structural change.

It’s time for governments, civil society, and global institutions to step up by creating safe platforms where youth can express themselves, be heard, and shape peace and security policies. This also means rethinking how we engage citizens – especially young people – by meeting them where they are and embracing the diverse ways they choose to communicate, whether through photography, storytelling, digital media, or other creative expressions. Remember, “Peace cannot be built without us. Don’t build our future without hearing our voices.”

So, young people everywhere: This is your invitation. Use your lens. Tell your truth. Let the world see your vision.

Because peace is not only what leaders sign into law – it is what young people like you dare to build, every single day, even in the shadows of war. As Kawthar says, “…peace is not just the absence of war. It’s walking without fear and returning home without seeing sadness fill my mother’s eyes. Peace is having my voice and future in my own hands.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Amos Benjamin is a Graduate Professional at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health from the University of Malawi and has worked closely with the national government on participatory research initiatives. He is passionate about developing child-sensitive methodologies to amplify youth voices in peacebuilding and reintegration efforts.

Kawthar Younis is a 21-year-old from Mosul, Iraq. Currently in the fifth grade of middle school, she is developing a small project on Instagram that reflects her creativity and determination. Looking ahead, Kawthar aspires to pursue a career in the medical field and dreams of one day owning her own bookstore.

The post Through our eyes: Why youth perspectives matter in peacebuilding first appeared on UNIDIR.

In the lead up to the Summit of the Future, more than 1,500 youth attended the Action Days. Young leaders from all over the world made recommendations, which were presented to the Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General for youth affairs. The Action Days set the momentum for the Summit, demonstrating the importance of engaging youth and drawing on their expertise to come up with inclusive solutions, such as rebuilding trust between institutions and young people by allowing them to play an active role in shaping decisions instead of just giving them a seat at the table.

(Im)pact for the future

The outcome of the Summit was an inter-governmentally negotiated, action-oriented Pact for the Future, which includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.

The Pact outlines three commitments to advance the youth, peace and security agenda, which is the first international policy framework recognizing the positive role young people play in preventing and resolving armed conflict.

The commitments include:

• Taking concrete and voluntary measures to increase the inclusive representation of youth in decision-making at all levels in prevention and the resolution of conflict;
• Strengthening and implementing existing youth, peace and security national and regional roadmaps to deliver on the agenda’s commitments;
• Requesting the Secretary-General to carry out a second independent progress study on youth’s positive contribution to peace processes and conflict resolution.

Member States, international and regional organizations, civil society organizations and youth representatives at the Summit reiterated their commitment to advancing the youth, peace and security agenda, as they called for incorporating youth issues as a cross-cutting element of every discussion. Many welcomed the adoption of the Pact, seeing it as an opportunity to reinvigorate current structures and build the trust needed for effective global governance. They also cautioned that global targets will remain unmet without the full empowerment of women and youth.

Energizing youth engagement

At UNIDIR, we welcomed such developments. Recognizing the detrimental effects of marginalizing youth populations, we are committed to changing this by engaging with youth and creating conditions that allow them to progress and play an active role in shaping decisions. This will enable the international community to build a strong foundation in arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament to safeguard the interests of present and future generations – in line with The Pact and the UN General Assembly resolution on Youth, Disarmament and Non-proliferation.

As part of our youth engagement approach, UNIDIR is working on three key fronts:

1) Promoting a youth-inclusive workforce

UNIDIR promotes youth inclusion in its practices by building disarmament research capacity among the next generation. We have a well-established Graduate Professional Programme, which provides young people with practical experience in a research institute that serves the global community on questions of international security and assists with disarmament efforts. In turn, Graduate Professionals are a diverse group, often fluent in a variety of languages, that bring innovative and valuable perspectives to the field of disarmament.

2) Raising awareness of arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament among youth

UNIDIR actively engages youth in arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament issues through outreach and awareness raising initiatives. We offer an online Youth Disarmament Orientation course which provides age-appropriate content, including key concepts on disarmament and up-to-date information on relevant topics. Our work also builds knowledge, capacity and skills on disarmament by offering lectures for students in higher education institutions upon their request.

3) Fostering knowledge of youth, peace and security and amplifying perspectives

UNIDIR advances research on youth, peace and security issues, as well as engages youth in research and policy work on disarmament. We carry out research on the needs of young people during rehabilitation, reintegration and post-conflict reconstruction. We gather age- and gender-disaggregated data on youth in conflict, to understand their experiences and ensure their unique needs are addressed in programming.

Ensuring meaningful participation

Last month, UNIDIR’s  Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project in collaboration with partners held an exhibition at the UNHQ consisting of powerful photos and reflections documented by conflict-affected youth from Colombia, Iraq and Nigeria. This is the result of a participatory research intervention aiming to empower young people with photography and research skills, giving them a space to process their experiences. By sharing these through an artistic lens, practitioners and policymakers could see their experiences first-hand rather than having them interpreted by adults.  

In addition to elevating youth’s voice in policymaking discussions, UNIDIR regularly promotes competitions open to young participants. Earlier this year, a youth video competition called for submissions on why space security matters and how outer space can be kept sustainable. Three winners had the opportunity to come to Geneva, where their videos were premiered at UNIDIR’s Outer Space Security Conference 2024 and they had a chance to meet with leading experts in the field. These competitions offer a platform for youth to share innovative solutions on pressing international security issues, thus playing an active role instead of just filling the room.

Inspired by the Pact of the Future, UNIDIR is committed to ensuring meaningful youth engagement in all areas of arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament.

UNIDIR would like to thank the Republic of Korea for its generous support towards the Institute’s youth engagement activities.

The post What’s next for youth engagement in disarmament? first appeared on UNIDIR.

The reception brought together practitioners, impacted states and peacebuilding experts to celebrate the impactful photography created by conflict-affected children and youth from Iraq, Nigeria, and Colombia. The reception also featured the screening of a video co-created by the programme’s participants, providing a platform for these young voices to share their messages of peace directly with policymakers.

This event celebrated the exhibition, which was on display from 9 to 21 November 2024 at the United Nations Headquarters. The exhibition featured photographs and reflections produced through a participatory initiative led by MEAC, 100cameras, War Child, UNICEF and various local partners. These works provided a window into the challenges and resilience of children and youth navigating conflict, offering a creative outlet for them to share their experiences and contribute to peacebuilding discussions.

Video recording

The post Visions of Peace: Messages from conflict-affected children and youth to policymakers and practitioners first appeared on UNIDIR.

Young people aged 18-25 from across the globe were invited to submit short videos answering the question: “Why does space security matter to you? – Keeping outer space secure and sustainable”. 

The Outer Space Treaty, the pillar of space law, states that space activities are to be carried out for the benefit and the interests of all countries, irrespective of economic and scientific development. This principle emphasizes inclusion and diverse representation. Through this competition, UNIDIR and CIGI aimed to promote the inclusion of young people in space security discussions, highlight diverse perspectives on the importance of maintaining a secure and sustainable outer space and engage young minds in multilateral space security efforts.

Amplifying youth voices

The youth campaign consisted of a video competition that generated great interest and received a diverse range of submissions from young people around the world. Participants shared insightful perspectives on space security, reflecting diverse cultural, academic and technical backgrounds. The creativity and fresh perspectives brought forward by the applicants served to underscore the importance of involving the next generation in shaping the future of outer space governance.

Announcing the video competition winners

UNIDIR is pleased to share the videos from our three winners, whose work was recognized for its insight, creativity and relevance to the theme. These winners were invited to attend the Outer Space Security Conference 2024 in-person, with a fully funded trip to Geneva, Switzerland.

Prajnaa Bangalore Mahaveer Jain, Juris Doctorate Candidate, University of Windsor Faculty of Law, Canada

Prajnaa is a Juris Doctorate Candidate at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. She was honoured to be selected as the Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee where she represented over 600 residents. Prajnaa balanced her public service as a Justice Education Fellow and interests in emerging technology as a Researcher at the Law and Technology Lab. Currently, she is a Researcher at the Black Scholars Institute. Prajnaa previously completed her Bachelor’s at American University in Washington D.C. as part of the distinguished Global Scholars Programme.

O Junyoung, Double Major Student in Electronics and Avionics Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, Korea Aerospace University, South Korea

O Junyoung is pursuing a double major in Electronics and Avionics Engineering and Aerospace Engineering at the Korea Aerospace University. His passion for space was sparked by reading Carl Sagan’s Cosmos and deepened by his fascination with space exploration missions like Voyager. Observing the incredible history of the Saturn V rocket motivated him to pursue a career in this field. Currently, he is studying circuit design as part of his major. He enjoys reverse-engineering and maintaining retro arcade game components. He also has a blog in Korean about this. He aspires to design Field Programmable Gate Arrays and circuits for spacecraft and hopes to deepen his understanding of their limitations through a double major in Aerospace Engineering to enhance his designs. 

José Ignacio Vieux, International Affairs Student, National University of Rosario, Argentina

José Ignacio Vieux is an International Affairs student at the National University of Rosario. A US Department of State Youth Ambassador alumnus, José has been involved in directing democracy programmes for NGOs and has served as an assistant professor in Comparative Politics. His research focuses on Argentina’s international positioning in the emerging space era.

From vision to reflection

As part of the youth campaign, winners had the unique opportunity to transform their perspectives into written commentaries, reflecting not only on their original ideas but also on their experiences engaging with the space security community in Geneva. These reflections allow them to further develop their thoughts on key challenges, governance approaches, and the role of emerging voices in space diplomacy.

The importance of space security for the Global South

As a youth participant at OS24, I witnessed firsthand the critical importance of amplifying the voices of emerging space nations, particularly those in the Global South. For young professionals like me, the future of space governance is not a distant abstract, it is the reality we will inherit and shape.

José Ignacio Vieux

Perspectives on space security from an engineering student

Through OS24 and the youth video competition experience, I had the opportunity to witness experts from around the world come together to discuss a common purpose and collaboratively shape the path forward.

O Junyoung

Expanding on their original ideas, José Ignacio Vieux and O Junyoung use these written reflections to further explore the challenges, opportunities, and governance considerations that shape the future of space security. Their insights reinforce the value of youth engagement in multilateral discussions, highlighting fresh approaches to ensuring space remains peaceful, sustainable, and secure for all.

An inclusive way forward

The OS24 youth campaign successfully highlighted the innovative ideas of passionate young minds worldwide. The contributions played a crucial role in bringing youth perspectives directly to the UN and enriching multilateral discussions on space security matters. UNIDIR will continue to work with the winners of the campaign, offering mentorship and additional opportunities so as to encourage inclusivity and the incorporation of innovative ideas that can contribute to advance space security discussions. UNIDIR remains committed to incorporating diverse perspectives in the pursuit of peace and will continue to provide a platform for all voices.

The post Outer Space Security Conference 2024 youth campaign first appeared on UNIDIR.

Meet UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict (MEAC) team at the Peacebuilding Marketplace and explore the project and its evidence on journeys into and out of armed groups. Through research with former armed group associates as well as conflict-affected communities, MEAC generates context-specific insights to help policymakers and practitioners prevent recruitment, strengthen reintegration and interrupt conflict cycles. Its research across Colombia, Iraq and the Lake Chad Basin region sheds light on why people become involved with armed groups, what enables them to leave and what shapes their prospects for rebuilding their lives.

Reflecting the Forum’s theme, “Choose Peace”, the showcase will explore what is needed to make peace a reality for people and communities affected by conflict. Visitors are invited to stop by the MEAC stand, meet the team, explore its latest research and exchange ideas on translating evidence into more effective policy and programming.

When and where

Tuesday, 13 October 2026 | 08:30–18:00 CEST | Espace Ruth Dreifuss, Centre International de Conférences Genève, Geneva, Switzerland

Participants

The event is open to all registered Geneva Peace Forum participants.

RSVP

To participate, please register on the Geneva Peace Forum 2026 registration page.

Further information

For any questions, please contact Jessica Caus at jessica.caus@un.org.

The post UNIDIR at the Geneva Peace Forum’s Peacebuilding Marketplace first appeared on UNIDIR.

This participatory intervention encompassed a multimedia integrated training programme to equip participants with photography and research skills, the space to process their experiences and build their network, and eventually elevate their voices into policymaking discussions that will ultimately impact them and their peers.  

In November, a high-profile exhibition at the UN Headquarters in New York will showcase the photographs and reflections of these children and youth. The exhibit will serve as a powerful testament to the transformative role of photography, offering a platform for young people to visually communicate their lived experiences of conflict and their vision for a peaceful future. Through a combination of photographs and personal reflections, the exhibition will provide a raw and unfiltered glimpse into their emotional landscapes, depicting the challenges, aspirations, and hopes that shape their daily lives.

When and where

From 9 November to 21 November, 1B Corridor, UNHQ, New York.

The post Visions of peace: Empowering conflict-affected children and youth through participatory photography and action research first appeared on UNIDIR.

There is currently significant programmatic and research attention on the return and reintegration of Iraqis, particularly children, coming back home after being displaced internally or from Syria. Yet, existing efforts to assess youth reintegration challenges remain largely extractive and tokenistic, with limited engagement through which young people’s experiences and needs are interpreted by adult researchers and practitioners. Recognizing the pressing need to shift the paradigm of how the international community supports conflict-affected young people, UNIDIR, alongside UNICEF, War Child UK, Bridge, 100cameras, IOM, and Progress in Peace launched a groundbreaking initiative to amplify the voices of returning youth and cogenerate action research to inform programmatic interventions meant to address the unique reintegration needs and aspirations of returning Iraqi youth.

This event will introduce two innovative pilot studies that engaged Iraqi youth as partners in action research and feature an exhibit of photographs created by them. The first component will showcase a professional qualitative training programme for youth researchers in Mosul with the goal of co-facilitating research with its graduates. Several of the research themes explored in this training were also the subject of a participatory photography intervention by 100cameras in Mosul. This transformative program equipped youth with photography skills, enabling them to process their experiences and share their stories through images. The event will exhibit the photographs taken by conflict-affected youth in Mosul, providing a unique visual narrative that embodies their struggles, hopes, and aspirations.

Ultimately, the goal of the event is twofold: to advance efforts to empower young people as active agents and partners in peacebuilding efforts and to offer peacebuilders practical guidance on how to adapt these (not tokenistic) youth-inclusion approaches into programming cycles for post-conflict reintegration and recovery in other contexts.

WHEN & WHERE

1 November, 2023, 15:00 – 16:30 CET | GCSP– 5th floor (PÉTALE 4), and Online

This event is organised as part of Geneva Peace Week, under the thematic track Promoting Peaceful and Inclusive Societies.

SPEAKERS

• Idriss El Alaoui Talibi, Vice-President at the Peacebuilding Initiative, Peacebuilding Initiative, Geneva Graduate Institute
• Siobhan O’Neil, Head of Project, Managing Exits from Armed Group (MEAC), United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
• Schadi Soraya Semnani, Iraq Study Coordinator, Managing Exits from Armed Group (MEAC), United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
• Angela Francine Popplewell, Co-Founder, CEO, 100Cameras
• Samer Zebary, Founder, Progress in Peace
• Sophie Bray-Watkins, Youth Advocacy and Participation Adviser, War Child UK

MAIN ORGANISER

• United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)

CO-ORGANISERS

• Peacebuilding Initiative_Geneva Graduate Institute
• The Swiss FDFA
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• 100cameras
• International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• Bridge
• War Child UK
• Progress in Peace

The post Empowering Youth to Build Peace: Co-Generating Action Research in Post-Conflict Iraq first appeared on UNIDIR.

The event brought together youth, civil society, NGOs, academics, donors, and UN actors, placing crucial evidence on conflict transitions and reintegration in the hands of policymakers and practitioners to inform the return and reintegration process.

Photos taken by young Iraqis as part of a participatory research exercise that MEAC ran with its partner 100cameras were featured at the event.

The post Launch of the Longitudinal Study on Reintegration, Baghdad, Iraq first appeared on UNIDIR.