UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
The yearly UN Youth Assembly in Kosovo follows the footsteps of the Global United Nations Youth Assembly in New York and since 2017, it has served as Kosovo’s biggest multi-ethnic youth platform, enabling direct connections with decision-makers to address matters of shared concern and assess progress on the implementation of the Kosovo Roadmap on YPS.
The event has gone from a Kosovo-wide event to a regional platform, open to young leaders from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia!
Each year at the UN Youth Assembly, UNMIK awards “Youth4Youth” small-scale grants for multi-ethnic youth trustbuilding initiatives developed by the participants in support of the YPS agenda. In 2023, UNMIK supported six youth-led projects focusing on International Youth Day, International Peace Day, a Talents Camp with an emphasis on youth with disability, an environmental awareness project and a workshop on countering hate speech.
2023
The Anniversary, 5th UN Youth Assembly in Kosovo took place on 6-9 June 2023 as a regional youth trust-building platform under the title “Activate Youth Power: Perspectives of Youth Participation in Kosovo and Western Balkans”. The event brought together nearly 220 participants, including Kosovo and regional leaders, representatives of the international organizations, Kosovo institutions, civil society, and private sector to address issues related to meaningful and inclusive youth participation in governance, community affairs, building peace and international organizations.
Read more: 2023 UN Youth Assembly participants are here – and ready for more | UNMIK (unmissions.org)
2022
After a long break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 4th UN Youth Assembly in Kosovo themed “Youth, Peace and Security in the Digital Era” was organized on 31 May - 1 June 2022 and brought together 150 young leaders from across Kosovo, and, for the first time, from the wider region – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – to discuss the use of technology and its impact on the involvement of youth in sustainable peace processes.
2019
On 24-25 April 2019, UNMIK, in collaboration with UNKT and in partnership with a multi-ethnic network of young peacebuilders of the “United Youth Task Force”, organized the 3rd UN Youth Assembly in Kosovo under the theme “Youth Participation in Decision-Making and Community-Building”. The third edition served as a milestone to reflect on the implementation of the Kosovo Roadmap on Youth, Peace and Security and identify gap areas for further intervention.
The event was honoured by the presence of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake during her visit to Belgrade and Pristina.
Big dreams at Youth Assembly: A new kind of Kosovo | UNMIK (unmissions.org)
2018
2nd UN Youth Assembly in Kosovo themed “Youth Power: Building Peace and Security Together” was held on 14-15 May 2018 with over 210 young leaders from all Kosovo communities. The event served as a follow-up platform to address the implementation of the Kosovo Roadmap on YPS in connection with the 2018 UN Kosovo Trust-building Forum and aimed at the development of joint youth-led solutions.
2017
The very first UN Youth Assembly in Kosovo took place on 28-29 June 2017 themed “Advancing Youth, Peace and Security Together” and brought together 140 young men and women from all Kosovo communities. The event served as a Kosovo-wide consultation on the UN Secretary-General’s Progress Study on YPS and resulted in the localization of the portfolio and adoption of the Kosovo Roadmap on YPS.