Overview : In December 2015, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted UNSCR 22501 on “Youth, Peace and Security” (YPS). It is the first resolution of its kind, recognizing that young women and men play an important and positive role in maintenance and promotion of international peace and security. Since then, two subsequent resolutions have been adopted: UNSCR 2419 (in 2018) and UNSCR 2535 (in 2020). UNSCR 24192 calls for the meaningful inclusion of young people in peace processes; and UNSCR 25353 provides concrete steps for the operationalization of the YPS agenda. The United Nations Liaison Office to the League of Arab States (LO) was established in June 2019 with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States (LAS). The Liaison Office’s work centers on enhancing partnership, expanding outreach with LAS, and building its capacity in the area of international peace and security, including conflict prevention, peacemaking, and peacebuilding. To that end, LAS and LO have jointly identified YPS as an area of cooperation. In addition, the LAS has promoted the implementation of the YPS agenda amongst its Member States, including by issuing resolution No. 907 during the 42nd session of the Arab Council of Youth and Sports. This resolution included a recommendation to support YPS more specifically by organizing the 7th edition of the Euro-Arab Youth Forum, which was held in Budapest 2019 with the thematic focus, “Dialogue on Youth, Peace and Security.” In December 2021, LAS, LO and UNFPA Arab States Regional Office (UNFPA ASRO) partnered to initiate the process for developing a regional strategy on YPS through organizing a Training of Trainers for 30 Arab young women and men. In addition, a regional consultation was held in Tunisia. A concrete outcome of these initiatives was a draft outline for a regional YPS strategy. On 26 May 2022, the League of Arab States (LAS) the Council of Arab Youth and Sports Ministers met in Cairo adopted resolution No 1010 in its 45th session to develop an Arab Regional strategy for Youth Peace and Security. The strategy will provide a timeline and framework, guiding LAS and the Member States’ actions to facilitate the meaningful youth participation in the region on peace and security issues, at the national and regional levels. The strategy is planned to cover a period of 4-5 years and to be launched during the last quarter of 2022 or first quarter of 2023. The development of the strategy will be guided by LAS though a Drafting Team consisting of the consultant, a LAS coordinator and the appointed penholders The Drafting Team will lead the strategy development process and ensure external and internal coordination amongst partners and stakeholders leading up to an endorsed strategy. . A Technical Support Group (TSG) composed of focal persons from LO, DPPA, FBA, UNDP Arab States and UNFPA ASRO have been formed to support the LAS during the process of developing and operationalizing a YPS Regional Strategy for the Arab region. The TSG will provide technical expertise, peer review, guidance and assistance to ensure alignment of the strategy to relevant YPS framework documents, particularly relevant Security Council resolutions, as well as to ensure a participatory, inclusive and diverse process with young women and men and the youth-led civil society in the region. Based on the above, the objective of this consultancy is to build on the work that has been done so far and draft the strategy, and provide support and advice throughout the process of developing and finalizing the strategy, together with LAS and the TSG. Further, the consultant will provide technical expertise and knowledge on YPS, the context, and engage with Youth Ministries or similar bodies from LAS Member States, youth groups, youth networks and youth-civil society actors in the region. At the end of the consultancy, a final strategy will be ready for endorsement (early 2023) by the Arab Youth and Sports Ministers Council Youth. |