ery efforts. As a consequence, youth may turn from 
institutional politics as they feel their governments 
are not addressing critical issues they care about. 
(5) When we fail to effectively engage youth, it 
can lead to violence, instability, unrest, and irregular 
and forced migration. For example, Sub-Saharan Af-
rica hosts more than 26 percent of the world’s 52 
million refugees and internally displaced persons 
(IDPs), of which approximately 50 percent are 
youth. In Latin America and the Caribbean there 
are 6.3 million migrants that are under 18 years old, 
and most migrants from this region come from frag-
ile states with economic and political instability, 
where youth can be the deliberate targets of vio-
lence. 
(6) Adverse climate impacts, increased food in-
security and malnutrition, rising debt, growing in-
equality, price shocks and inflation, democratic re-
cession, and the continued impacts of COVID on 
service delivery contribute to the instability of com-
munities, disproportionately impacting the economic, 
educational, and security prospects of youth, and 
their mental health and wellbeing. 
(7) Digital transformation has dramatically 
changed industries, governments, economies, and so-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:32 Aug 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5024.IH
H5024
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
cieties. Digital ecosystems, consisting of stake-
holders, systems, and enabling environments, can 
empower people and communities to use digital tech-
nology to access services, engage with others, and 
pursue economic opportunities in partner countries. 
Digital ecosystems also come with risks of increasing 
inequality, 
repression, 
and 
instability. 
Unsurprisingly, the rise of digital technology has 
had a profound impact on young people, raising new 
opportunities and challenges alike for youth, peace 
and security, from youth mental health and 
wellbeing to online recruitment and mobilization to 
online peacebuilding movements. 
(8) Youth and youth-led groups and movements 
have demonstrated the capacity of young people to 
play critical roles in calling for reform through, for 
example, nonviolent action and peaceful protests to 
hold governments accountable and attempt to de-
crease or prevent authoritarianism in their countries, 
by serving as a bridge between traditional commu-
nity values and cultural globalization, and by build-
ing diverse coalitions that advance more peaceful 
and democratic outcomes for their communities and 
countries, including— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:32 Aug 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5024.IH
H5024
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
(A) deescalating destructive conflict and 
helping prevent the spread of conflict; 
(B) discouraging anti-social youth mobili-
zation among peers; 
(C) preventing recurring cycles of violence; 
(D) encouraging defection from armed 
groups and social reintegration of ex-combat-
ants; 
(E) improving the effectiveness and sus-
tainability of peace and political processes; 
(F) improving social cohesion between and 
among groups, peers, and associates; 
(G) building resilience to violence and re-
cruitment; 
(H) helping to identify and improve liveli-
hood options for youth and their families, and 
communities impacted by crisis and conflict; 
and 
(I) contributing to improved and more in-
clusive democracy and governance. 
(9) Youth are critical actors and partners in de-
velopment at all levels of society. The meaningful in-
clusion of youth in the design and delivery of 
projects and strategies, including those focused on 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:32 Aug 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5024.IH
H5024
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
youth, peace and security, can contribute to better 
and more sustainable outcomes. 
(10) Preventive, resilience-based, and cross-cut-
ting youth-inclusive approaches are more effective at 
reducing physical and psychological violence than 
hard security responses and at-risk and remedial ap-
proaches, which are often counterproductive. 
(11) Youth who have participated in United 
States-supported civic engagement and development 
programs are less likely to participate in or support 
political violence. 
(12) Youth participation in the design and im-
plementation of community development strategies is 
critical for effectively reducing violence and extre-
mism, and increasing young peoples’ education, eco-
nomic opportunity and empowerment, civic engage-
ment, and positive health outcomes, which can con-
tribute to peace and stability. 
(13) Young people around the world, particu-
larly 
adolescent 
girls 
and 
members 
of 
the 
LGBTQI+ community, but also young men and 
boys, are disproportionately affected by all forms of 
violence. This includes, but is not limited to, risks 
associated with technology facilitated violence, such 
as intimidation, harassment, exploitation, abuse, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:32 Aug 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5024.IH
H5024
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
trafficking, 
misinformation, 
disinformation, 
malinformation, data tracking, and other threats, 
which warrant increased attention. Such risks also 
inhibit young peoples’ ability to participate in digital 
networks, democracy rights and governance and 
peacebuilding movements. 
(14) A study by PLAN International, which 
surveyed girls in 22 countries, found that— 
(A) 58 percent of respondents reported 
that they had personally experienced some form 
of online harassment on social media platforms; 
(B) activists attracted particular vitriol 
and attention; and 
(C) 47 percent of respondents reported 
that they had been attacked for their opinions. 
(15) The shrinking of global civic spaces facing 
youth, as documented in the United Nations Office 
of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth’s report, 
‘‘If I Disappear’’, shows the complexity of the grave 
threats, challenges, and barriers against diverse 
groups of youth active in the civic space, taking the 
forms of sociocultural, financial, political, legal, dig-
ital, and physical. Shrinking civic and political 
spaces challenge the ability of youth to contribute to 
society effectively and meaningfully, often resulting 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:32 Aug 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5024.IH
H5024
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB