Evaluation of Child and Youth Participation in Peacebuilding

The Global Partnership for Children and Youth in Peacebuilding, launched in 2012, seeks to improve child and youth peacebuilding (CYP) practices, and to impact and strengthen the evidence base supporting CYP and related best practices. In July 2014, the Global Partnership initiated a multi-agency, multicountry, multi-donor (3M) evaluation in Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Nepal to 1) Map who is doing what and where to support CYP, 2) Nurture durable partnerships increasing CYP quantity, quality, and impact 3) With children and youth, assess the quality and impact of child and youth participation in peacebuilding and variables influencing CYP impact; 4) Build the capacity of children and youth to meaningfully participate in CYP evaluations; and 5) Present key findings and recommendations to stakeholders to help increase the quantity, quality and impact of CYP work.

The evaluation results revealed that child and youth peacebuilders have contributed to impact in four key areas: 1) young peacebuilders often became more aware and active citizens for peace; 2) young peacebuilders increased peaceful cohabitation and reduced discrimination; 3) young peacebuilders reduced violence; and 4) young peacebuilders increased support to vulnerable groups. A few of the changes under each of these key impact areas, particularly the changes concerning children and youth as aware and active 12 Evaluation of Child and Youth Participation in Peacebuilding citizens were experienced by males and females of different ages participating in different peacebuilding initiatives across different regions. Other changes were more localised resulting from specific peacebuilding initiatives carried out by children or youth, often in collaboration with adults in particular geographic areas.