It is a historic and game changing moment for the global youth peacebuilding movement: on 9 December 2015, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security. It was the first time in the 70-year history of the institution that the explicit role of young people in creating peaceful societies has been front and centre of the Security Council.

Resolution 2250 not only highlights the unique protection needs of young people in conflict, it recognises globally that “youth should be actively engaged in shaping lasting peace”.

Today, more than 1.5 billion people live in conflict affected and fragile states, many of which have predominantly young populations. In these environments young people have been imagined only as perpetrators or victims of violence, a narrative that sidelines their roles in conflict transformation and peacebuilding. In traditional peace and security discourses, youth based peacebuilding initiatives remain on the periphery, often considered ad hoc, small scale and therefore non-consequential. Yet, to marginalise the voices of a major and influential stakeholder group is to ultimately undermine the success of peacebuilding interventions.

Over the past two years, young people and our freedoms, education, cultures and aspirations have been increasing targets of violence:

• In April 2014, 276 Nigerian schoolgirls aged 16-18 were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants in the northeastern town of Chibok;
• In December 2014, the Taliban targeted students and staff of an army-run school in Peshawar in north-west Pakistan, killing 141;
• In April 2015, 147 students at Kenya’s Garissa University College were targeted as they were preparing for the day; and
• Just over a month ago, modern youth culture was at the heart of ISIL terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 locals and foreigners.

Technology and social media platforms have been utilised by ultraviolent extremist groups to disseminate ideologies of hate and recruit often disenfranchised young people to radical causes. Today, violence is being carried out by young people and against young people. Now, the UN acknowledges the different and vital role of youth in countering violent extremism and building peace. Globally, young people constitute 1.8 billion people, the largest generation of 10-24 year-olds the world has ever seen. We must be a part of the solution. It’s time for a dramatic paradigm shift.

Resolution 2250 is the product of advocacy efforts lead by the United Network of Young Peacebuilders and championed by Search for Common Ground. Together we have been successful in ensuring that peace is not only a goal in the new Sustainable Development agenda, but mainstreamed across all SDGs; developed a call to action with the recent adoption of the Amman Declaration on Youth, Peace and Security; held more than 100 high level meetings through UN lobbying missions; and continued to support the tireless work of grassroots youth for peace activists. Our work in conflict transformation, peace education and entrepreneurship for peace has been recognised in Resolution 2250.

But what next? In order to see this Resolution as a living document, there are important steps that civil society and all governments and intergovernmental bodiescan implement to support the work of youth peace actors. Echoing the language of the Resolution itself, there are five key pillars of actions:

• Participation: to increase inclusive and genuine representation of young people in decision making, including in implementing peace agreements and supporting local peacebuilding initiatives.
• Protection: to recognise the unique and different ways in which conflict affects young people, including access to education and economic opportunities.
• Prevention: to highlight the importance of young people as key actors in conflict prevention through projects that support social cohesion.
• Partnerships: to underscore the need for more resources including technical, finance and logistics to support the work of grassroots actors.
• Disengagement and reintegration: to ensure young people have the skills, training and employment opportunities to prevent marginalisation and promote societal engagement.

The role of youth as equal and necessary actors in peacebuilding has long been overlooked. We are active and enthusiastic, creative and effective. Resolution 2250 is our best chance yet to take the lead in how young people perceive and do peacebuilding.

Laura McManus is a member of the United Network of Young Peacebuilders Global Youth Advocacy Team. This article may be republished under a Creative Commons License. Join the conversation at #Youth4Peace #SCR2250 @unoy_peace.