UNOCT Commemorates International Youth Day 2023

UNOCT recognizes the crucial role of young people in shaping our shared future.

This year's theme "Green Skills For Youth: Towards A Sustainable World" resonates deeply with our commitment to empower young people as agents of change for a more secure, inclusive, and sustainable world.

Youth empowerment is not just about harnessing potential; it's about equipping our young leaders with the skills to tackle pressing issues like climate vulnerability and to take prominent roles in our efforts for global security.

As we mark International Youth Day 2023, UNOCT showcase young people’s contributions to preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism.

Youth Engagement & Empowerment Programme (YEEP)

鲍狈翱颁罢/鲍狈颁颁罢’蝉 Global Programme on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism through its flagship Youth Engagement and Empowerment Programme (YEEP) uses an innovative Peer-to-Peer model to train, coach and mentor young people use their voice and ideas for policy and programming in PCVE. Since its launch, young YEEP leaders develop their skill set through intensive training and have engaged more than 700 young people in their own communities from over 50 countries to crowdsource new ideas in PCVE. The YEEP leaders have pitched these ideas to a range of senior Member State representatives and UN stakeholders , e.g. strengthening education initiatives on violent extremism, digital resilience and countering terrorist narratives. In 2023, UNCCT will implement YEEP in Nigeria with a focus on Climate Security, equipping young leaders with the skills and knowledge to engage their communities on challenges related to climate instability in the context of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE).

UNOCT Behavioural Insights to Counter Terrorism - Going to Extremes

Bintang Assyifa

Bintang Assyifa is a 2022 alumna of the UNOCT'/UNCCT Global Programme on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism’s Youth Engagement and Empowerment Programme (YEEP) from Indonesia. Previously affected by violent extremism, she became a grassroot peacebuilder and created “Sporteev”, a youth-led organization that leverages a peer-to-peer approach to sports-based leadership training to nurture empathy, teamwork, and social cohesion among high-school students.

“I am a grassroots peacebuilder from a small town in Indonesia engaged in youth-led interfaith work at community level. At UNOCT's High-Level Counter-Terrorism Week, I shared my personal journey from witnessing a friend's radicalisation to empowering youths against violent extremism. Through UNOCT's Youth Engagement and Empowerment Programme (YEEP) in 2022, I delved into the roots of extremism, including feelings of isolation prevalent among today's youth. Harnessing this understanding, my team and I developed a sports-based leadership program for junior high students. Unlike traditional programmes, ours champions empathy, teamwork, and conflict resolution, melding gamified workshops with gender-inclusive sports. Our aim is to combat youth isolation and build bridges, promoting unity and social cohesion. Plans to expand this initiative across Indonesia are underway. We are exploring the potential replication of our peer-to-peer program with the Department of Education. I want to conclude by saying that meeting USG Mr. Vladimir Voronkov was a testament to the significance of grassroots endeavors like mine. His encouragement solidified my belief: every step, no matter its size, is vital in crafting a peaceful, sustainable world.“

Dennis Lallienzuol

Dennis Lallienzuol is an indigenous conflict survivor and displaced youth from the ‘Hmar’ community living in Manipur, Northeast India. Dennis is a 2022 alumnus of the 鲍狈翱颁罢/鲍狈颁颁罢’蝉 Global Programme on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism’s Youth Engagement and Empowerment Programme (YEEP) which engaged 39 young leaders from nine Member States across South and Southeast Asia. Dennis is also the Founder of 'The Bridge School Project', a youth-led community initiative focusing on education and peacebuilding working with children and young people affected by conflict and disasters.

“I am an indigenous young leader from the Hmar community, from Northeast India. I am also a conflict survivor and my identity is deeply connected to land and culture. My journey as a 2022 UNOCT Youth Engagement and Empowerment Programme (YEEP) Fellow demonstrates how youths can collaboratively devise solutions, strengthening their role in preventing violent extremism and contributing to addressing issues related to climate vulnerability.

I have dedicated my efforts to bolster indigenous food systems and knowledge within my community. I have led initiatives across 80 villages in Manipur, impacting 50,000+ people by reviving spring sheds and establishing food banks. The theme of the International Youth Day 2023 "Green Skills For Youth: Towards A Sustainable World” resonates with my advocacy for a stronger youth engagement on climate security.

Earlier this year, participating in the Third UN Counter Terrorism Week was an invaluable platform for me to discuss climate and conflict, based on my experiences. During a side event on ‘Climate Security and Violent Extremism,’ I emphasized how today's youth are immediate change-makers. It's imperative to amplify marginalized youth voices at global policy stages, moving beyond mere tokenism. Ultimately, creating opportunities for young minds, like the UNCCT YEEP platform, is essential. For us, a sustainable world means preserving the wisdom of our ancestors and ensuring no one is left behind.”

Victims of Terrorism Support Programme

With its Victims of Terrorism Support Programme, UNOCT/UNCCT aims to show solidarity with, raise awareness on, and contribute to protecting, promoting and respecting the rights and supporting the needs of victims of terrorism. The Programme also works towards building the capacity of Member States and civil society organizations to better support the needs of victims of terrorism, including children and youth who are affected by terrorism and perceive violence and death differently than adults.

Alicia Taylor and Iman Muhammad

Born and raised in different continents, Iman and Alicia share a powerful bond. Both were 13 years-old when they survived terrorist incidents that altered the course of their lives. Iman was trafficked and subjected to egregious abuses by Da’esh in Iraq, and Alicia survived the Manchester terror attack in the UK.

For both, the opportunity to raise their voices and advocate at a global scale came with the first UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism, in 2022. The young women captivated audiences with powerful messaging they developed during the UNOCT strategic communications training for victims of terrorism. Alicia spoke about children as survivors of terrorism: “next to my name, I saw it said ‘survivor of terrorism,’ and that is?what?I am. But as a child is starting out in life, they're learning about the world, in a journey to find out?who?they are, not?what?they are.”?

Iman shared her story for a Global Congress panel on conflict-related sexual violence: “imagine a child at the beginning of her youth being raped and held captive by extremists who do not know the meaning of humanity. I am that child, standing in front of you now. I am that child, who did not surrender and instead became a voice for women around the world”.

Learn more about Iman’s story in the Memories campaign.

Global Sports Programme

Ester Nabatanzi is a certified netball coach within the , a Ugandan grassroots sport project. This initiative is supported by the UNOCT Global Sports Programme, through its grant scheme for civil society organizations (CSOs), which assists ten youth-focused CSOs across four continents to implement community-level projects that use sport to build resilience against violent extremism. Ester is now an advocate for peace in her local community, harnessing the power of sport to create positive social change.

Ester Nabatanzi

“I am a native to the Mirambiro Village, in the Insingiro district of South Western Uganda. My family is heavily dependent on agriculture for income generation. When I learned of the government’s plans to use our land to host refugees coming from conflict-stricken countries, I became distressed. Soon, my behaviour was hateful and violent towards these refugees, and my discriminatory outlook spilled out into my sporting activities, in which I participated at school.

In late 2021, I discovered ICODI, and began to embrace the social values which I was learning through sport, such as teamwork, respect and tolerance. In particular, I enjoyed the project’s approach of mixing refugee youth groups from different cultural backgrounds in sporting activities and entrepreneurship projects. The project changed my life. Through ICODI I trained to become a certified netball coach and use my skills to train refugees and non-refugee youth to continue engaging in sport, regardless of their differences, promoting gender equality and diversity in communities that were once facing tensions and conflicts.

In July 2023, I had the honour of participating in an online event organized by the UNOCT Global Sports Programme to foster gender mainstreaming to pursue PVE goals through sport. At the event, I shared insights gained from my personal journey and advocated to a global audience for how sport can address gender-based violence and promote peace and harmony."