Reflection workshop on the challenges of youth participation in peace and stability in Burkina Faso

For more than a decade, the Sahel region has been faced with growing insecurity due to the terrorist threat, inter-community conflicts and transnational crime. Burkina Faso is one of the Sahelian states facing these multiple and complex security challenges. The resulting instability has serious repercussions for the population, particularly young people, who make up a large proportion of the population and are particularly vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups. In this context, this section of the population is often exposed to social exclusion because it is seen as a burden or a problem. Despite the numerous regional and international mechanisms on the participation of young people in peace efforts, it is clear that this important category of actors is often relegated to the background and very little involved in peace processes to promote lasting stability and security in the Sahel and West Africa.

The participation of young people in promoting peace and stability is crucial for the future of Burkina Faso. But a number of obstacles stand in the way of effective participation. These include a lack of economic opportunities, limited access to quality education, political marginalisation, and a sense of disillusionment with future prospects. To overcome these challenges, it is imperative to create a space for reflection and inclusive dialogue where young people can develop effective and sustainable solutions to this problem.

Hence the organisation of a ‘Day of reflection on the challenges of youth participation in peace and stability in Burkina Faso’ with the support of the FES PSCC office through its ‘Youth committed to stability in the Sahel’ project. The main aim of this activity, organised by the young members of the project, is to provide young people in Burkina Faso with a forum for discussion, sharing and exchange, to encourage them to become more involved in peace processes, strengthen their commitment to social cohesion and stability initiatives, and play an active role in defining future strategies.

By better understanding these challenges, it will be possible to develop appropriate and effective solutions, such as education programmes, employment opportunities and mechanisms for political participation. This initiative can make a significant contribution to strengthening community resilience, promoting social inclusion and building a peaceful and prosperous future for all Burkinabè.

The day was led by Maître Ali TRAORE, a lawyer by profession and President of the Groupe de Recherche-Action sur la Sécurité Humaine (GRASH), Dr Kassem SOURWEMA, a lecturer and researcher in Political Science at Thomas SANKARA University and Director of Training at the Centre national d'études stratégiques (CNES), Dr YARABATIOULA, Sociologist and Director General of the Ecole Nationale d'Administration et de Magistrature (ENAM) provided an opportunity to analyse and identify the challenges to optimum participation by young people in peace and security initiatives; to highlight the best practices and experiences of young people in peace and security issues, and to propose possible courses of action or gateways for better involvement and integration of young people at all levels in peace processes.

The day's discussions focused on three current issues that are having a negative impact on the participation and inclusion of young people in peace processes in Burkina Faso:

• Young people and disinformation and misinformation: outlines for peace and social stability.
• Young people and political commitment: challenges and prospects.
• Young people and conflict: conflict prevention and community mediation techniques.

The exchanges, debates and experience-sharing were unanimous in highlighting misinformation, the lack of political commitment on the part of young people, and the problems of managing conflicts and security crises as the main challenges to young people's commitment to peace in Burkina Faso. In addition, there are challenges specific to young people : their lack of interest, their lack of political culture, their lack of confidence in the political class, their lack of belief in young people's ability to bring about positive change, and so on.

Misinformation has been identified as an evil plaguing young people in Burkina Faso. So how can we use information to build peace and stability, rather than using it to undermine peace and social stability? To answer this question, it is necessary, indeed vital, to ‘act together for reliable information and lasting peace’. All stakeholders must be involved to reduce the impact of disinformation. ‘It is our duty as Burkinabè to help build our country’, stressed the young participants. Young people, through CSOs and other organisations, must play their part alongside the state in restoring peace and social cohesion. To do this, they need to be well informed so that they can make better decisions. The participants were convinced that a ‘good political culture’ could help to strengthen the commitment of young people to peace-building initiatives, and undertook to raise awareness among young people so that they would be better able to commit themselves to the common cause.

The day of reflection provided an opportunity to examine the obstacles to young people's political involvement and their ability to play an active part in the country's peace and stability. These obstacles relate first and foremost to the legal instruments governing the involvement of the judiciary in political issues. Although they limit the age of youth to 35, the participants acknowledged that at this age it is difficult to be fully involved in politics. In addition, there are a number of stereotypes that limit their political participation. Indeed, it emerged that young people do not always have the right to speak and that they are often invited on a symbolic basis. The political involvement of young people, which should be seen in relation to their community and hence the country as a whole, is also a constitutionally recognised right (Article 12 of the Burkinabe Constitution states that ‘All Burkinabe without distinction of any kind have the right to participate in the management of the affairs of the State and society...’). The constitutional value of this right gives young people a definite opportunity to participate individually or collectively, directly or indirectly, through citizenship.

At the end of the workshop, the participants agreed to form a pool of young actors for peace. They want the pool to be consolidated by strengthening their capacity in politics, conflict prevention and community mediation, so that they can become ambassadors for peace. They are also committed to changing perceptions about young people by making them a solution rather than a problem. To do this, they want to first diagnose the legal frameworks that hinder the involvement of young people, with a view to advocating for them to be reviewed.

A number of recommendations are set out in a roadmap in the form of a youth action plan to prevent attacks on the country's peace and stability and to consolidate social cohesion. Convinced that the implementation of this roadmap will stimulate the participation of young people and women in peace initiatives and boost equality and social inclusion, the young people would like support to ensure its effectiveness.