YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN PEACE BUILDING: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LIBYA AND TUNISIA
Résumé (anglais)
Achieving SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) requires promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. Target 16.1 calls for significantly reducing all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. Target 16.3 promotes the rule of law and equal access to justice. Target 16.7 ensures responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. Youth, defined as ages 15 to 35, comprise the largest demographic cohort in the Arab region, approximately 30 percent of the population in both Libya and Tunisia. They have been both drivers of political change during the Arab Spring of 2010 to 2011 and victims of violence, exclusion, and economic marginalization. However, youth participation in peacebuilding remains under-researched and under-supported, with peace processes often dominated by armed actors, political elites, and international mediators who overlook youth as legitimate peacebuilders. This study conducts a comparative analysis of youth participation in peacebuilding in Libya and Tunisia, two neighbouring North African countries with shared historical, cultural, and linguistic ties but divergent post-2011 trajectories. Libya descended into civil war after the 2011 uprising, while Tunisia navigated a largely peaceful political transition. The Libyan peace process has largely excluded youth, with only 5 percent of participants in formal peace negotiations being under 35 and no youth seats in the political dialogue forum. Despite this, Libyan youth have engaged in grassroots peacebuilding through local ceasefires, community mediation, and digital activism. Tunisia has more institutionalized youth participation, including a Higher Council for Youth, youth quotas in municipal councils of 30 percent, and a National Youth Observatory, though challenges such as high unemployment and political disillusionment persist. Using a qualitative comparative case study methodology, the study analyzes secondary data from government reports, international organization documents, peer-reviewed literature, and youth organization reports over the period 2011 to 2025. The study concludes that youth participation in peacebuilding requires formal inclusion in peace negotiations, institutional support, economic empowerment, security protection, and transitional justice. Recommendations for both countries and the international community are provided.
Mots-clés: Youth participation; peacebuilding; Libya; Tunisia; SDG 16; UNSCR 2250; transitional justice; political transition
Résumé (français)
Atteindre l'ODD 16 (Paix, justice et institutions efficaces) nécessite des sociétés pacifiques et inclusives. La jeunesse, âgée de 15 à 35 ans, constitue la plus grande cohorte démographique dans la région arabe, environ 30 pour cent de la population en Libye et en Tunisie. Cette étude analyse la participation des jeunes à la consolidation de la paix en Libye et en Tunisie. La Libye, après la chute de Kadhafi en 2011, est tombée dans une guerre civile de 2014 à 2020. Le processus de paix libyen a largement exclu les jeunes, avec seulement 5 pour cent des participants aux négociations ayant moins de 35 ans. Malgré cela, les jeunes libyens s'engagent dans la consolidation de la paix locale, notamment par des cessez-le-feu locaux et la médiation communautaire. La Tunisie a connu une transition pacifique. La participation des jeunes est plus institutionnalisée, avec un Conseil supérieur de la jeunesse et des quotas de jeunes dans les conseils municipaux de 30 pour cent. Cependant, les défis persistent, notamment le chômage élevé et la marginalisation économique. L'étude conclut que la participation des jeunes nécessite une inclusion formelle dans les négociations de paix, un soutien institutionnel, une autonomisation économique et une protection de la sécurité. Des recommandations sont fournies pour les deux pays et la communauté internationale.
Mots-clés: participation des jeunes, consolidation de la paix, Libye, Tunisie, ODD 16, résolution 2250 du CSNU, justice transitionnelle, transition politique