Peer learning as a tool to enable youth-responsive infrastructures for peace

As learning professionals, we believe that peer learning is an invaluable tool for promoting effective and efficient learning. By providing opportunities for individuals to share their knowledge and experience with one another, peer learning can help to break down barriers and increase the overall understanding and retention of information. Additionally, through peer learning, individuals can gain new perspectives and develop important skills such as collaboration and communication, which are essential for success in any project. Overall, we believe that incorporating peer learning into any learning programme can greatly enhance the overall learning experience and lead to better outcomes.

Partnering on a tailored learning solution

A case in point is our recent partnership with UNDP Somalia on a project to support the national and subnational policy and planning for reconciliation. Initially, the idea was to design a training on conflict mapping and conflict analysis, but it soon became clear that a different approach would better serve this group. Acknowledging the diverse skills and depth of experience of the participants, and creating a space for sharing this, a peer learning approach was deemed the best option for this specific context. What we at the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) have witnessed through more than 20 years of delivering trainings on conflict analysis is that, even when the conceptual foundation has been laid, a challenge often exists in moving from theory to practice. How could we bridge this gap in Somalia?

The Peer Learning Programme on Conflict Mapping, Conflict Analysis, and Planning for Peacebuilding (PLP) was initiated by UNDP as part of their State-Building and Reconciliation Support Programme. Supported by UNSSC and the Federal Government of Somalia, our innovative and collaborative initiative aimed at building an infrastructure for peace. The PLP consists of both online and in-person activities, including two in-person training sessions in Mogadishu.

In conceptualizing the programme, we realized that multi-stakeholder partnerships would be central to this programme, as it seeks to bring together expertise from within the UN Country Team as well as from UNDP’s regional Hub in Amman, INGOs, Governmental entities on a Federal and State level, and academia to exchange best practices. The Youth, Peace and Security Agenda (YPS) was central to the project´s conceptualization and delivery. It is supported by the UN Youth, Peace and Security Advisor for Somalia, Julius Kramer, serving the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) on secondment by the Folke Bernadotte Academy of Sweden (FBA). As the first dedicated YPS Adviser in a UN mission, he provided strategic and technical advice to UN leadership and the Federal Government of Somalia, and worked towards strengthening young people´s rights, agency and participation in Somalia´s peace- and state-building processes, ranging from local mediation to national political processes. This approach enabled youth-responsive and youth-led infrastructures for peace and reconciliation required political leadership and technical know-how. But why was is important to have a youth focus in this project?

The importance of youth-responsive infrastructures for peace in Somalia 

Somalia has one of the youngest populations in the world, with youth constituting more than 70 per cent of the total population (UNDP Somalia). However, based on the prominence of clan elders, Somalia’s traditional governance system dominated by elderly men fuels age-based discrimination. Despite facing political and socio-economic exclusion, it is often overlooked that young people are also critical local actors for development, peacebuilding, and social cohesion. Historical disregard for these intersectional power structures in conflict analyses has created limited opportunities for a more prominent role of young women and men. There is a crucial need to unpack how gender- and age-based power dynamics influence conflict systems and opportunities for peace and to adopt a youth-responsive approach that ensures fully inclusive peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts.

Young people contribute to peace and security through many forms of civic and political engagement by helping to bridge divides within communities and fostering social cohesion. Youth participation in peacebuilding and reconciliation can take different forms. However, for it to be meaningful, it is important to ensure an inclusive, intentional, mutually respectful partnership between young women and men, and non-youth, where power is shared, respective contributions are valued, and young people's ideas, perspectives, skills, and strengths are integrated into all stages of decision-making (adapted from Youth Power, Meaningful Youth Engagement). Furthermore, it is crucial to apply a "Do No Harm" approach, consider that investing enough time is key, and "walk the talk" by allowing youth to take the lead and supporting their engagement "in the room", "around the room", and "outside the room" (cf. We Are Here, 2019). But in Somalia, and many parts of the world, opportunities for young people to engage politically, economically, or socially remain weak or non-existent. Participation in decision-making at different levels is hindered due to issues related to cultural affiliation, gender, age, illiteracy, and poverty, among other factors, including the prominence of elders in the political system.

Challenges to meaningful youth participation and ways to overcome them in the Somali context 

Young Somali women and men play a crucial role in their country’s peacebuilding and state-building processes. Still, they are often excluded from opportunities to engage and participate in decision-making. Supporting the meaningful participation of young people in reconciliation efforts, conflict resolution, peacebuilding and election through an integrated approach is thus crucial and is in line with UN Security Council Resolutions 2250 (2015), 2419 (2018) and 2535 (2020) on Youth, Peace and Security. Overcoming challenges by maximizing young people´s impact, creating space and equipping young people with the necessary tools to play a positive and decisive role will eventually bring peace and social and economic prosperity to Somalia (cf. UNSOM, “Youth Empowerment”). In both international and domestic law, young people have the right to participate and have their voices considered in decision-making at all levels. Ensuring that diverse groups of young women and men are engaged in peace and security initiatives can also significantly improve their relevance, legitimacy, sustainability and impact. Actors, such as the UN, must therefore actively work to enable and support youth’s meaningful participation in all its operations. 

How did the peer learning programme contribute to youth-responsive infrastructures for peace in Somalia? 

Throughout the PLP activities youth-responsive approaches to data collection and analysis were embedded, enabling participants to identify the challenges and opportunities in their context for power sharing, integrating and valuing youth ideas, perspectives, skills, and strengths. Sessions focused on identifying negative and positive bias as well as stereotypes about young people which might influence analysis and mislead political and programmatic responses to conflict. Participants also explored theoretical models for meaningful youth participation, challenges and opportunities in a Somali context, and discussed how to avoid tokenism and manipulation when engaging young women and men. In the session, Fardowsa Mohamed Abdille, Reconciliation Officer at the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs & Reconciliation (MOIFAR) in Jubaland, emphasized that “70% of the Somali population are young people. They have enough knowledge and expertise to understand conflict situations and must therefore be involved in peace and reconciliation processes.”

The UN in Somalia has cooperated with the Federal Government on the implementation of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, and on bringing YPS considerations into the review of Somalia´s National Reconciliation Framework. In December, a high-level conference for the review of the National Reconciliation Framework (NRF) outlined youth participation as a priority for the updated NRF, and emphasized the need to build on synergies between the NRF, Somalia´s National Youth Policy and the YPS Agenda. The PLP complemented policy level efforts for youth participation through the National Reconciliation Framework with concrete methods, learning and a network of catalysts for change in key positions throughout government and civil society. Overall, participants agreed on the importance of widening partnerships for youth-inclusive reconciliation, including with other government entities such as the Ministry of Youth and Sports. 

It is evident that peer learning is a powerful tool that can help to foster collaboration, communication and teamwork which are especially important in the context of peacebuilding and reconciliation, as it allows for diverse perspectives, skills and experiences to be shared and can contribute to inclusive, sustainable and collaborative solutions. In our case it proved to be an approach that can empower youth to take a leading role in shaping the future of their communities.

If you want to learn more about the Peer Learning Programme Somalia, check out this video and if you work on or are interested in youth-responsive peacebuilding and reconciliation, have a look at some key recommendations from Julius Kramer.