Mr President,
First of all, I would like to thank Peru for organising this debate.
Norway congratulates the authors of the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security. We are proud to have supported the study financially.
As the Secretary-General has pointed out, without the full involvement of young people, there will be no sustainable peace, Agenda 2030 will not be achieved, and violent extremism will not be curtailed.
There is no greater resource than our youth. Both the Security Council and the General Assembly recognise the key role young people can play in maintaining and promoting international peace and security.
Norway has taken several concrete steps to implement resolution 2250.
Through our involvement in peace and reconciliation effortsin Colombia, the Philippines and South Sudan, we have seen first-hand the important contributions of youth. Based on this experience, we encourage the inclusion – at an early stage – of young women and men in peace negotiations and the resolution of conflict.
Norway supports a number of youth movements, including the Youth Civil Activism Network, YouthCAN. The organisation has 1300 members in 125 countries, and helps young people to develop skills and resources to counter extremism in local communities.
Education is a main priority for Norway. We have doubled our support to global education over the last four years, to ensure schooling for more than three million boys and girls annually.
In the UN Group of Friends of Preventing Violent Extremism, which is co-chaired by Jordan and Norway, we share lessons learned and best practices for including youth and civil society in national strategies to prevent violent extremism.
At national level, Norway has developed legislative frameworks to ensure the integration of youth into policymaking and the development of initiatives to empower young people. We have also established integration programmes to promote active participation and inclusion of refugee and migrant youth in Norwegian society.
In 2014, the Government launched its Action Plan against Radicalisation and Violent Extremism, which outlines a strategic cross-sectoral approach. The action plan focuses particularly on preventing the radicalisation of young people. One of the measures in the action plan is a guidance programme for parents and guardians.
Norway will continue to empower young women and men to be agents of change in their communities, not only to prevent violent extremism, but to remove its root causes. As I said, at the beginning, the innovative abilities of youth will be crucial for achieving sustainable peace and development.
Thank you.