Ensuring lasting Impact for Youth: Implementing the YPS agenda in Nigeria
In December 2015, the United Nations Security Council adopted the UNSCR2250 Resolution, recognising that youth should actively be engaged in shaping lasting peace and contributing to justice and security. Within this context, and with the aim to domesticate the resolution in the country a working group, the Nigeria Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security, was formed to develop a Youth Peace and Security National Action Plan, across the pillars of UNSCR 2250: Participation, Prevention, Protection, Partnerships, as well as Disengagement and Reintegration.
In September 2021, supported by CSPPS, the Nigeria Coalition on Youth, Peace, and Security (NCYPS) launched the Nigerian National Action Plan on Youth Peace and Security (NAPYPS).
In September 2024, the NCYPS with support from CSPPS’ member, the Centre for Sustainable Development and Education in Africa (CSDEA), launched its 2nd Impact Report on the Implementation of the NAPYPS.This report highlights the success stories, challenges, and opportunities to make more impact.
This second impact report shows the progress made with the implementation of the NAPYPS in the last year. Out of the 36 states of Nigeria, two states have launched their State Action Plans (SAPs) on YPS between 2021 and 2022, and another state launched their SAP-YPS in 2024. A dozen more states are now at various stages of the development of their SAPsYPS demonstrating the readiness and ownership of the government and stakeholders at the sub-national level to implement the NAP-YPS and ensure that young people are impacted positively.
This year, State governments, civil society and youth organizations have also taken steps to translate the NAPYPS into programmatic interventions, reflecting huge investments in building the capacities of the youth on YPS and in early warning and early response to conflict. Other stakeholders have taken steps to address the scourge of drug abuse, the rise of criminal gangs, and the large number of girls and women who are survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
However, challenges at the sub-national level persist as young people are having difficulty collaborating with some state governments and the lack of capacity and limited funding negatively impacting the implementation of the NAPYPS. Addressing these challenges in the following years will help ensure the sustainable implementation of the YPS agenda in Nigeria transforming the youth agency and supporting sustainable peace and development.
You can read the full report following this link
https://nigeriacoalitiononyouthpeaceandsecurity.org/publication/
