How the EU supports young people Nigeria to develop action plans for peace

The organisation Common Ground for Peace, Rights and Development (CGPRD) has established the Yobe State Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security, which brings together state institutions, security agencies, civil society organisations, youth representatives, women’s groups and the media. 

The aim is to support the development of Yobe State’s first locally owned Youth, Peace and Security Action Plan. Young people have an important role to play in preventing conflict, promoting dialogue and contributing to more peaceful and inclusive societies. 

Security policies are most effective when they are shaped with the people they are meant to protect. Bringing communities, young people, and institutions together like this gives us a better chance of developing solutions that people believe in and can truly benefit from.

Representative of the NSCDC, Yobe State Command

In November 2025 participation by young people in the EU Youth, Peace and Security Conference in Brussels helped to inspire this locally led process to strengthen cooperation on peace and security.  

The European Union’s Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda recognises this essential role of young people and calls for the meaningful participation of young women and men in peacebuilding and decision-making processes at all levels. 

A key lesson drawn from last year’s EU conference was that localisation is not simply about implementing international frameworks at local level. It is about ensuring that local stakeholders help shape what these frameworks mean in their own context.

From international exchange to local ownership

The Yobe State Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security, represents an important step towards strengthening cooperation across institutions and communities. Through a series of planning meetings, consultations and dialogue sessions, participants have begun identifying shared priorities and building a common vision for peace and security in the state. The process has also created space for actors who do not often work together in a structured way to exchange views, strengthen trust and develop joint ownership.

Also involved in this project are Yobe State Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigeria Correctional Service and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW). Civil society organisations, youth-led groups, women’s organisations and media actors, including the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), are also playing an active role.

What began as a conversation at the EU Youth, Peace and Security Conference in Brussels is now helping shape a locally owned peacebuilding process in Northeast Nigeria. Once inaugurated, there are plans to implement state-wide consultations with communities with the aim of developing Yobe State’s very first Youth, Peace and Security Action Plan.

Find out more about how the EU engages with young people in different ways to allow them to become involved in EU foreign policy.

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