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 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, that is 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. Namibia has also 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. 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, they
must actualize their pronounced commitment for a NAP on Youth, Peace and
Security, thereby providing the necessary financial, logistical, and technical support
for youth-led initiatives, which would encourage more youth-led organizations to
foster. They must also engage youth in policy making in the areas that particularly
affect them, such as education and employment, since they could carry first-hand
experience about these issues, potentially causing the Namibian economy to boost
itself, by lower unemployment rates, and fostering greater youth satisfaction.
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

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

xiv
Namibia Education Budget Brief 2023-2024 by UNICEF
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/