The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the United Nations Volunteer Programme (UNV) have been developing the regional Project entitled Youth volunteerism for Peacebuilding and Disarmament: Youth Measuring Security in the Communities through Participatory Indicators in Peru, Colombia, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago. The objective of the project is to implement the 2030 Agenda, to increase the competencies of volunteer leaders with respect to SDG 16, youth, peace, security, disarmament and volunteering. It also seeks to develop indicators to measure the perception of violence and security in their communities through a participatory methodology and the promotion of the role of youth as a relevant player in promoting peace.
Four workshops were held in the city of Trujillo, Peru, under the theme of Youth, Peace and Disarmament, within the framework of the activities of the Joint United Nations Human Security Programme, which has been carrying out various activities in Trujillo since 2014.One hundred and twenty volunteers from various organisations participated on the 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th of July in sessions that were facilitated by UNLIREC and UNV. In addition, it involved the participation of young volunteers who were part of the alliance with the Cultural Association D1 which promotes thee culture of peace through art, dance and human development. The four workshops addressed the different dimensions of the concepts of violence, peace, human security and disarmament. Likewise, practical tools were shared to convert their perceptions of these phenomena into valid indicators for their measurement.
The workshops are part of a series of activities that will take place over 6 months in all four countries. During this time, participatory indicators for SDG 16 will not only be generated but will also be validated by young people in their communities and presented to local and regional government authorities. In this way, young people will be trained and empowered, making visible their role as promoters of the creation of a just, peaceful and inclusive society.