Inclusive reintegration programming; participation of children and youth formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups as a cornerstone for long-lasting peace

By War Child, International Labour Organisation (ILO)

This is a War Child Podcast developed with young people in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the International Labour Organisation, the Managing Exits from Armed Conflict project, and the US Department of Labours’ International Labour Affairs Bureau.

In this programme “Help them forget this bad life in the bush”: how the participation of young people formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups is a cornerstone for long-lasting peace, we will discuss the participation of young people in peacebuilding, the state of reintegration programming and the lack of young people's participation within it.

We will hear from members of one of War Child’s VoiceMore groups in Masisi, Eastern DRC. The young people are working on their own advocacy project into the ‘push and pull’ factors into armed groups and will offer their thoughts on young people’s participation in peacebuilding and reintegration.

Then the panel below will react to the points shared by the young people.

• Siobhan O’Neil, Project Director, Managing Exits from Armed Conflict project, the Centre for Policy Research at UN University.
• Simon Hills, Technical Specialist, the International Labour Organisation’s Fundamental Branch
• Jennifer Fendrick, Senior International Relations Officer, Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking, U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs
• Sophie Bray Watkins, Youth Advocacy and Engagement Adviser, War Child UK

For more information about War Child’s youth advocacy programme please see: What is VoiceMore?

To read more about the work of the International Labour Organisation, the Managing Exits from Armed Conflict project and the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking, please follow links below:

• Child labour and armed conflict (IPEC) (ilo.org)
• Managing Exits from Armed Conflict - United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (unu.edu)
• International Child Labor & Forced Labor Reports | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)

Contributions to the Geneva Peace Week 2021 Digital Series do not necessarily represent the views of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, its partners, or the partners of Geneva Peace Week.