Review Report: Review of Finland’s National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security

Finland is a global front-runner in implementing the UN Security Council’s Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda. Finland was the first country in the world to publish a national YPS Action Plan for 2021–2024. Review report on the Action Plan assesses its impact and provides recommendations for future work.

The review shows that Finland’s YPS Action Plan has increased awareness of the role of young people in peacebuilding, strengthened youth participation in promoting peace and security, and enhanced cooperation between authorities, civil society organisations and the youth. The plan has helped mainstream YPS themes and encouraged NGOs to develop YPS related projects. Strong political support has been beneficial for the work.

Internationally, Finland is seen as a leader in YPS efforts. Finnish model, which emphasises youth inclusion, is widely recognised and supports broader peacebuilding objectives. Finland has gained strong visibility especially within the UN, the EU and in Africa. Untapped potential exists in knowledge production, communications and the use of alumni networks.

Key challenges include strengthening the diversity of youth participation and addressing limited implementation resources. YPS expertise within the government administration is partly person-dependent, which slows down mainstreaming. Indicators would make follow‑up more systematic. YPS efforts could be enhanced by expanding cooperation to municipalities, youth work actors, migrant and disability organisations, as well as higher education institutions and businesses.

Publication

Review of Finland’s National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security (PDF, 62 pages, 665 KB)