The Second EU Youth, Peace and Security Conference took place in Brussels, 10-14 November 2025 - Joint Declaration on Youth, Peace and Security
The Joint Declaration on Youth, Peace and Security, outcome of the Second Conference on Youth, Peace and Security and co-created by young delegates and institutional actors, was recently published. The Second Conference on Youth, Peace and Security and YPS Week took place in Brussels, 10-14 November 2025, as a response to the global crisis that young people are facing, bringing together EU institutions, Member States, and over 120 young peacebuilders and partners from across the globe to co-shape the future of Team Europe action on YPS.
Central to the week’s outcomes was the adoption of the Joint Declaration on Youth, Peace and Security. The declaration emphasises the universal right of all young people to live with dignity, freedom, and peace, regardless of whether they reside in stable environments, conflict-affected areas, rural and marginalised regions, situations of displacement, or under occupation. It calls for the meaningful inclusion of youth in peacebuilding and decision-making processes at all levels, recognising their creativity, leadership and capacity to foster reconciliation and sustainable change.
The conference highlighted the need to strengthen a Team Europe approach to the Youth, Peace and Security agenda. This includes the development and reinforcement of National Action Plans on YPS, the integration of youth perspectives into EU external action and security strategies, and the expansion of partnerships that support youth-led initiatives in mediation, prevention and community dialogue. Participants emphasised that young people must be considered partners, not merely beneficiaries, in shaping policies that affect their lives and futures.
Marking the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 2250, the conference served both as a moment of celebration and a call for renewed commitment. Stakeholders emphasised that progress on the YPS agenda must translate into concrete, long-term implementation — transforming principles into practice and turning youth participation into a structural component of peace and security efforts at local, national, and international levels.
The Joint Declaration sets out a clear roadmap for advancing the YPS agenda across Europe and beyond, reaffirming that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the active engagement, recognition and protection of young people.