The Youth, Peace and Security Agenda of the United Nations is one pertinent agenda that has been widely adopted across the world. The world has witnessed its fair share of terrorism and extremism, two commonly occuring issues that have destroyed countless lives across the world. Despite the fact that the youth has been the primary demographic affected the most by conflicts across the world, it has also been the most ignored when it comes to decision making, planning and execution of peacebuilding and conflict resolution efforts. The Youth, Peace and Security Agenda emerged as a result of this; to give the youth, a primary stakeholder for peacebuilding, a seat at the table. With many countries of the world experiencing considerable youth bulges the youth has become a demographic more important than ever before in recent history. Interestingly enough, the data and trends show that the youth is the predominant group in most conflict affected areas across the world. Owing to the consistently rising numbers of youth across the world the importance of allowing this demographic a voice became more important than ever before. In addition to that, the power of the youth cannot be emphasized enough when it comes to transformative power and fostering change in society. For instance, the power of the youth was evident in the Arab Spring, a movement initiated and fuelled entirely by the youth to foster pro-democracy values. Particularly because of the power of social media, the youth is becoming more active, engaging in political processes and grassroots level initiatives to manifest the change they envision for their societies. 

As a result of the recognition of the potential of the youth, the fact that they had been  denied the ability to play their part in peacebuilding, and global advocacy the United Nations Security Council adopted the YPS Agenda and recognized the crucial role the youth has to play in peace and security. The comprehensive framework designed in response is referred to as the Youth, Peace and Security agenda and is dedicated to supporting and enhancing youth participation in these areas. Understanding and addressing the unique challenges and experiences of youth in conflicted areas, the Agenda filled a substantial vacuum in peacebuilding. Owing to the considerable demographic it addressed and the need it fulfilled, the YPS agenda was adopted by governments, non-governmental organizations, the civil society and youth across the world. Meticulously designed but maintaining considerable flexibility to allow contextualization, the YPS agenda is based on four main pillars;

1. Participation: To overcome the neglect of youth in peacebuilding efforts, the foremost pillar of the agenda is participation, focusing on enhancing youth participation in decision making and efforts related to peacebuilding and peace and security. The role the youth can play in peace and security issues has been proven time and time again through the progressive changes that have been manifested through this demographic. With the ability to impact every phase of the peacebuilding process, the impact and outreach of the youth is profound, ranging from the grassroots level in their respective communities to the global scale through the power of social media. Considering the monumental role the youth can play in preventing and resolving conflicts and initiating peacebuilding efforts, participation is at the core of the YPS agenda. 

2. Protection: In addition to being the primary perpetrators of violent activities, the youth is also the one demographic that is most vulnerable to it. Preys for violent and terrorist activities, the youth are targeted by parties engaged in conflict and terrorism owing to their abilities and potential. The YPS agenda recognizes this vulnerability and addresses it by making the protection of the youth a core aspect of the agenda. The agenda calls for the insurance of the safety and wellbeing of the youth and protection from exploitation and violence in conflict affected areas. 

3. Prevention: By recognizing the role of the youth, enhancing their participation at all levels and protecting them from the constant threats that compromise their wellbeing, the YPS agenda covers substantial ground. However, only focusing on the previous two principles would lead to active engagement of the youth in unsustainable situations possibly furthering their vulnerability in a perpetual cycle. The YPS agenda includes prevention of conflicts and addressing their root issues for resolution to effectively incorporate the youth in peace and security issues. Unless addressed through a bottom-up approach, conflicts remain recurring and can escalate further. For sustainable peacebuilding the agenda emphasizes dialogue and communication, cohesion and conflict resolution through the power of the youth. 

4. Partnership: Conflict is a complex issue with multiple nuanced factors that give birth to an often violent situation. As such, addressing a conflict through one entity or stakeholder is not only unsustainable but also impossible. The YPS agenda recognizes the dire need for collaboration and collective action for achieving the goals of conflict resolution. The youth alone can easily be subdued or suppressed. The power of the youth, however, can only be harnessed if all stakeholders such as the governments, the civil society and non-governmental organizations work in cohesion with the youth for effective partnership that holistically addresses peace and security issues. 

5. Disengagement and Reintegration: Addressing not just the youth that can play a role in peace and security initiatives but the youth affected by conflict as well, the fifth principle of this agenda focuses on the rehabilitation of the youth affected by armed conflict and their reintegration into society and societal processes. By providing opportunities for rehabilitation and growth to youth that have been involved in conflict, this principle emphasizes recovery for disengaged youth and facilitates their transition back into society through capacity building initiatives like education, psychosocial development and vocational skill development. 

The YPS agenda, an agenda comprehensively recognized and endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, has gained global recognition and momentum since its inception. The pillars represent core principles that can facilitate any peace and security issue, however their effectiveness lies in their flexibility and considerable ability to be contextualized. With global adoption of the agenda, the power of the youth is now being harnessed to bring about sustainable change across the world.