Salama Peace Webinar Series
Created in November 2019, the Salama Peace Initiative seeks to advance peace and security across the African continent by leveraging young people’s contributions to peace. What is more, it has a mission to help establish a thriving ecosystem of young African peacebuilders who are connected and inspired to positively impact their countries and the continent at large in the areas of peacebuilding and governance.
In line with the above, the proposed webinar series will be conducted virtually between 15th - 29th January 2023, spanning over three (3) separate sessions.
Description
In the last years, the African continent has hosted more than one fourth of global violent conflicts, fostered by a number of multifaceted and mutually reinforcing challenges at the intersection of political violence, violent extremism, climate change, underdevelopment, etc. Yet, while this worrying development has contributed to one of the most severe humanitarian crises in recent history, it is important to shed light on the increasing contributions of African actors in tackling security threats on the continent. Owing to a number of efforts from the African Union at normative level, there has been a considerable increase in interest, participation and contributions of youth and women groups to achieving lasting peace on the African continent, be it in the areas of peace promotion, conflict prevention and awareness raising. If meaningfully supported, young people can play a significant role in advancing peace from local to global levels, thereby contributing to good governance and sustainable development in an inclusive manner.
To further sustain and enhance such progress, the Salama Peace Blog proposes to roll out a dedicated webinar series that will allow for the examination of the challenges, successes, but also opportunities in securing peace on the African continent through youth-led actions and ways to leverage such wealth of knowledge and experience for policymaking and programming for peace.
Session layout
The webinar series will take the form of a panel discussion with 3-4 panelists each. Speakers will consist of subject matter experts and youth leaders working in the areas of peacebuilding and governance on the African continent. What is more, participants will be given the opportunity to ask questions and make contributions to the discussions.
Session 1
Amplifying youth contributions to sustainable peace on the African continent: Challenges and Opportunities
Date: 15th January 2023 at 3pm GMT +1
Focusing on “Amplifying youth contributions to sustainable peace on the African continent: challenges and opportunities” session 1 of the Salama Peace Blog Webinar Series will aim at discussing the important roles that youth play in the advancement of peace across the African continent and ways in which their contributions could be further harnessed. More specifically, the discussion will aim to:
- Take stock of progress made in advancing the youth, peace and security agenda on the African continent;
- Identify the gaps and challenges hindering the successful contributions of youth to peace and good governance on the African continent;
- Share experiences and best practices in regards to youth-led contributions to peace and good governance on the African continent and globally.
Session 2
Discussing the climate change and security nexus on the African continent
Date: 22nd January 2023 at 3pm GMT +1
Session 2 of the Salama Peace Blog Webinar Series will focus on emphasizing the need for greater synergies and coordination between the climate change and security agenda on the African continent. More specifically, the discussion will aim to:
- Examine similarities and interlinkages between the climate and security crisis on the African continent;
- Analyze the climate crisis risks for youth’s peace and security;
- Identify the challenges and opportunities of advancing climate change and security
Session 3
Promotion of peace and good governance in the digital age on the African continent
Date: 29th January 2023 at 3pm GMT +1
Session 3 of the Salama Peace Blog Webinar Series will focus on “Promotion of peace and good governance in the digital age on the African continent'' with the overall objective of contributing to the advancement of peacebuilding efforts and good governance in the digital space through youth-led actions. More specifically, the discussion will aim to:
- Examine cyber threats and crimes that affect young people on the African continent;
- Identify the challenges of advancing peace and good governance on the African continent in the digital space;
- Share useful knowledge, experiences and tools to effectively promote peace and good governance in the digital space.