Civilian CSDP Missions Human Rights

Findings and Recommendations to Strengthen the Implementation of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda within Civilian Crisis Management

Reports, articles, briefs CMC Finland Public 2025

This policy brief by CMC Finland analyses the results of a survey of Finnish secondees in civilian crisis management missions, mostly in EU Civilian CSDP. The brief finds that the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agenda is not well integrated into mission mandates, and that staffing and knowledge are lacking in this policy area. The author recommends ways to address these issues.

CMC Finland conducted a survey of their seconded personnel in civilian crisis management missions, wherein they assessed the implementation of the YPS agenda by looking at expert knowledge, training, prioritisation, and activities in the missions. They also conducted in-depth interviews to learn more from selected respondents. They found that YPS is broadly not integrated into civilian crisis management, with a majority of respondents stating there is little integration of the YPS agenda in any capacity. Most experts do not have much knowledge of the agenda and little training is provided on the topic. Neither is it highlighted in mission mandates or activities. One exception was EUM Armenia, where YPS has been declared a priority of the mission, although it was thanks to the initiative of an individual staff member that it was integrated into the mission's structure and activities.

To address these shortcomings, the author recommends that YPS be formally integrated into crisis management mission mandates and supported by detailed action plans. For staffing, all missions should have a designated YPS expert who is not overstretched between different priorities, and who can focus on making YPS a cross-cutting issue in all activities. And finally, training on YPS for mission experts is crucial for effective implementation of the agenda. This brief serves as targeted guidance for EU and Member State personnel involved in drafting and approval of mission mandates, and for seconding agencies and trainers preparing future mission personnel for their responsibilities.

Reference: Pekkarinen, R. (2025). Findings and Recommendations to Strengthen the Implementation of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda within Civilian Crisis Management. CMC Finland.

Resource

PDF | 16 pages
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