Name: Amogh Manjit Kothari

School: Rainbow International School Uganda

Country: The Republic of Namibia
Committee: Peace and Security Council
Topic: Leveraging the Role of Youth in Peacebuilding
Process and Conflict resolution

Tenacious, hard-working and creative youths are the main constituents of peace and security,
not only in Namibia, but a unified Africa. With a large percentage of youths present in the total
Africani and Namibian populationii, youth initiatives, such as the National Youth Council of
Namibia (NYC), that facilitates the peacebuilding and conflict resolutioniii, are inevitable,
empowered by the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) forming Resolution
2250iv. The development of these new youth organizations has played an integral role in the
betterment of Namibia’s peace and security ranking. As of 2015, Namibia was ranked 79th out
of 163 and had a Global Peace Index (GPI) of 1.956, since then, Namibia is, as of 2023, ranked
56th out of 163 and has a GPI of 1.859, showcasing a 4.96% improvementv.
However, many youth organizations in Africa face significant challenges. Firstly, youth
organizations face lack of funds from their respective governments that limits their capabilities
of promoting peacebuilding vi. Secondly, stereotypes create false perceptions of the youth as
violent and disinterested which marginalizes their contribution on the global stagevii. The
Republic of Namibia, for one, is also encountering significant challenges, obstructing its goal
of fostering confident and content youth. Firstly, the Namibian youth unemployment rate was
at a staggering 38.97 percent, as of 2022viii. This promoted discontent and enraged youths that
could, in theory, contribute to social unrestix, mainly fueled by the lack of education as more
than 10,000 students were reported to drop out annually, and with 2 out of 3 students in rural
areas, unable to obtain higher educationx.
Though, youth organizations, standing firm against these issues have successfully carried out
operations ranging from gang violence to interfaith dialoguexi. The AU Youth Envoy (AUYE),
working with the PSC, supports youth inclusion, youth development and works towards the
implementation of progressive policies for youth participation and leadershipxii. Namibia is
also a member of the Peace and Security Council, which is an organ of the African Union,
allowing the Namibian youth to benefit from the AUYEs worksxiii. In addition, Namibia has
allocated N$20.3b towards the Education sector, which in total is greater than 27% of the total
allocation, according to the 23/24 Budgetxiv.Furthermore Namibia has also shown strong
interest in developing a National Action Plan (NAP) on Youth, Peace and Securityxv after
taking on the Women, Youth and Peace NAP for the years 2019-2024xvi
For The Republic of Namibia to even more greatly leverage the role of youth, several strategic
actions are necessary. Firstly, actualizing their pronounced commitment for a NAP on Youth,
Peace and Security. This would involve providing the required financial, logistical and
technical support to youth led initiatives, fostering the growth of more youth-led initiatives
dedicated to peace and security. Secondly, collaborating with African countries to create more
youth organizations to propagate the views of the youth on peace and security, especially in
areas that have major populations and a history of violence not only in Namibia, but the whole
of Africa. Lastly, Namibia must prioritize youth engagement in policy making, especially in
critical sectors such as education and employment. This can be facilitated by providing training
and support to adult decision makers to better understand youth perspectives and integrate
them. These creative and powerful ideas could stimulate economic growth, reduction in
unemployment rates, and increase youth satisfaction across the country.
i
Wikipedia contributors. “Youth in Africa.” Wikipedia. N.p., 7 Oct. 2023. Web.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_in_Africa#:~:text=Africa's%20population%20as%20a%
20whole,relation%20to%20its%20population%20makeup.

“World Population Dashboard -Namibia | United Nations Population Fund.” United Nations
ii

Population Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. https://www.unfpa.org/data/world-population/NA

iii
http://www.nyc.org.na/

iv“Security Council, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2250 (2015), Urges Member States
to Increase Representation of Youth in Decision-Making at All Levels | Meetings Coverage
and Press Releases.” N.p., 9 Dec. 2015. Web. https://press.un.org/en/2015/sc12149.doc.htm

v
“Namibia - Global Peace Index 2023.” countryeconomy.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
https://countryeconomy.com/demography/global-peace-index/namibia

A study on The Roles and Contributions of Youth to Peace and Security in Africa, by the
vi

African Union. https://www.peaceau.org/uploads/au-study-youth-africa-web.pdf

vii
Ibid.

Statista. “Youth Unemployment Rate in Namibia in 2022.” Statista. N.p., 28 Feb. 2024.
viii

Web https://www.statista.com/statistics/812268/youth-unemployment-rate-in-namibia/

ix
https://neweralive.na/posts/opinion-unemployment-a-violent-epidemic-in-namibia

xLazarus, Shania. “Namibia’s School Dropout Rate Worries World Bank.” The Namibian.
N.p., 8 Feb. 2024. Web. https://www.namibian.com.na/namibias-school-dropout-rate-worries-
world-
bank/#:~:text=Last%20year%2C%20presidential%20adviser%20on,tertiary%20education%2
C%E2%80%9D%20she%20said.

xi
Ibid.

xii
https://au.int/en/youthenvoyoffice
 Kodjo, Tchioffo. “Composition of the PSC - African Union - Peace and Security
xiii

Department.” African Union, Peace and Security Department. N.p., n.d. Web.
https://www.peaceau.org/en/page/88-composition-of-the-psc

Namibia Education Budget Brief 2023-2024 by UNICEF

xiv

https://www.unicef.org/esa/media/13006/file/Namibia-Education-Budget-Brief-2023-24.pdf

xv
Kodjo, Tchioffo. “African Union Continues to Promote National Action Plans on Youth,
Peace and Security and Strengthen Youth and Women’s Agencies in Peacebuilding Processes-
African Union - Peace and Security Department.” African Union, Peace and Security
Department. N.p., n.d. Web. https://www.peaceau.org/en/article/african-union-continues-to-
promote-national-action-plans-on-youth-peace-and-security-and-strengthen-youth-and-
women-s-agencies-in-peacebuilding-processes

“Namibia – 1325 National Action Plans.” N.p., n.d. Web.

xvi

https://1325naps.peacewomen.org/index.php/namibia/