(2) prioritize funding programs that build the 
assets, agency, and capacity of youth engaged in 
peacebuilding, violence prevention, mediation, nego-
tiation, and peacekeeping, at the community level 
and through meaningful youth participation in deci-
sion making and in formal spaces and institutions; 
(3) ensure that capacity-building and youth en-
gagement programs take a systems-based and inter-
generational approach by engaging key institutions 
and stakeholders, such as peers and peer mentors, 
family and community members, educators, religious 
leaders, and policy leaders; 
(4) encourage the development of youth-inclu-
sive reconciliation, disengagement, and reintegration 
programs; 
(5) support inclusive education with a focus on 
mother-language and cultural pride, and context-spe-
cific critical thinking skills, relationship-based and 
skill-building learning, and conflict resolution; 
(6) through the USG’s geographical reach, ex-
perience working with vulnerable children and youth 
on the ground, existing partnerships and themati-
cally linked programs, and USAID’s Digital Strat-
egy as a vehicle, address diverse forms of digital 
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harm to children and youth, learn from these experi-
ences and continue to strengthen interventions; 
(7) utilize and promote safe and accessible dig-
ital platforms and networks to strengthen and pro-
mote 
youth 
dialogue 
and 
participation 
in 
peacebuilding efforts; 
(8) specifically address the impact that the 
growing digital ecosystem play in— 
(A) achieving or impeding the inclusive 
and meaningful participation of youth in 
peacebuilding efforts and political processes; 
and 
(B) radicalization and recruitment; 
(9) include youth in assessments of United 
States peace and security initiatives; 
(10) encourage government partners to ensure 
inclusive participation of youth in formal peace and 
political transition processes, including in national 
dialogues; civic engagement and political participa-
tion; reconciliation; and other political processes re-
lated to peace and security; and 
(11) assist youth to create a more secure envi-
ronment in which youth actors may better carry out 
their work in peace and security in relation to the 
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Action Plan and promote the physical and psycho-
logical recovery of young survivors of armed conflict. 
(b) REGIONAL PLANS.—Such Plan shall include spe-
cific implementation issues and considerations to be made 
in consultation with each regional bureau of USAID and 
the Department of State as part of the ongoing planning 
processes within USAID, including relevant Country De-
velopment Cooperation Strategies and Joint Regional 
Strategies. 
SEC. 8. DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE TO EXPAND TRAINING, 
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND GRANTS MAN-
AGED AND CONTROLLED BY YOUTH LEAD-
ERS. 
(a) YOUTH, PEACE, AND SECURITY FUND.—The 
USAID Youth Coordinator is authorized to establish a 
grant program through an implementation mechanism as 
determined by the Youth Coordinator, using amounts 
from the Youth, Peace, and Security fund made available 
pursuant to paragraph (3), may provide grants, emer-
gency assistance, and technical assistance to eligible 
youth-led 
civil 
society 
organizations 
and 
youth 
peacebuilding implementers who seek to achieve— 
(1) peacebuilding; 
(2) improved economic security; 
(3) community violence intervention; 
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(4) conflict and crisis management; 
(5) conflict resolution and people-to-people rec-
onciliation; 
(6) post-conflict relief recovery, and rebuilding 
efforts; 
(7) assistance for individuals facing immediate 
legal and safety concerns due to their participation 
in any activity described in paragraphs (1) through 
(5); and 
(8) any programming based on a positive youth 
development approach. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated $5,500,000 to carry out 
this section. Amounts appropriated pursuant to the au-
thorization of appropriations under this subsection may be 
referred to as the ‘‘Youth, Peace and Security Fund’’. 
SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CONFLICT.—The term ‘‘conflict’’ in this Act 
is understood as an inevitable aspect of human 
interaction, and present when two or more individ-
uals or groups pursue mutually incompatible goals. 
‘‘Conflict’’ is a continuum. When channeled con-
structively into processes of resolution, conflict can 
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be beneficial; however, conflict can also be waged 
violently, as in war. 
(2) CONFLICT PREVENTION.—The term ‘‘con-
flict prevention’’ is understood as deliberate efforts 
to disrupt likely pathways to the outbreak, esca-
lation, or recurrence of violent conflict and promote 
peaceful, resilient communities. 
(3) DO NO HARM.—The term ‘‘Do No Harm’’ 
refers to taking measures that ensure our efforts 
and interventions do not put any individual or group 
at increased risk of harm. As the legal, political, and 
social context for diverse youth is challenging in 
most countries where youth, peace, and security ac-
tivities occur, our engagement with youth and their 
communities should be done thoughtfully as it can 
raise their visibility and potentially put them at risk. 
(4) INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT.—The term ‘‘in-
clusive development’’ is understood to mean the con-
cept that every person, regardless of their identity, 
is instrumental in transforming their societies. De-
velopment processes that are inclusive yield better 
outcomes for the communities that embark upon 
them. 
(5) MEANINGFUL YOUTH ENGAGEMENT.—The 
term ‘‘meaningful youth engagement’’ is defined as 
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an inclusive, intentional, mutually respectful part-
nership between youth and adults whereby power is 
shared and respective contributions, including young 
people’s ideas, leadership, perspectives, skills, and 
strengths, are valued. 
(6) 
PEACEBUILDING.—The 
term 
‘‘peacebuilding’’ is understood as a range of efforts 
at the community, national, and international levels 
to address the immediate impacts and root causes of 
conflict and violence before, during, and after it oc-
curs. 
(7) RESILIENCE.—The term ‘‘resilience’’ in this 
Act is understood as the ability of people, house-
holds, communities, countries, and systems to miti-
gate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses 
in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and 
facilitates inclusive growth. In conflict and violence 
prevention, resilience often refers to protective struc-
tures (personal, group, institutional) that buffer in-
dividuals from the effects of adverse experiences. 
(8) VIOLENCE.—The term ‘‘violence’’ in this 
Act is understood as the intentional use of physical 
force or power, threatened or actual, against another 
person or against a group or community that results 
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in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, 
death, or psychological harm. 
(9) 
VULNERABLE.—The 
term 
‘‘vulnerable 
youth’’, ‘‘vulnerable populations’’, or other such 
iterations referred in this Act means a group of peo-
ple are vulnerable to situations or conditions, such 
as those situations and conditions presented during 
conflicts or instability. It is not meant to define any 
group as having vulnerability as inherent to their 
identity. 
(10) ACTION PLAN.—The term ‘‘action plan’’ 
means the United States Foreign Assistance Youth, 
Peace, and Security Action Plan developed pursuant 
to section 8. 
(11) USAID.—The acronym ‘‘USAID’’ means 
the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment. 
(12) YOUTH.—The term ‘‘youth’’ means indi-
viduals who have attained 10 years of age and have 
not attained 30 years of age. 
(13) YOUTH COORDINATOR.—The term ‘‘Youth 
Coordinator’’ means the individual designated by the 
Administrator pursuant to section 6 to coordinate all 
cross-sectoral international development efforts re-
lated to youth. 
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SEC. 10. REPORTS. 
(a) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the submission of the United States Foreign 
Assistance Youth, Peace, and Security Action Plan re-
quired under section 7, the USAID Administrator shall 
submit to Congress a report that describes the status of 
the implementation of such Plan. 
(b) CONTENT.—The report required under subsection 
(a) shall— 
(1) contain a summary of such Plan as an ap-
pendix; 
(2) describe the progress made in implementing 
such Plan; 
(3) identify the indicators and measure results 
over time, including disaggregated data on YPS 
grant funds obligated to support children and youth 
and their meaningful engagement in United States 
foreign assistance programming, as well as the 
mechanisms for reporting such results in an open 
and transparent manner; 
(4) contain a transparent and detailed account-
ing of USAID spending to implement such Plan and 
related activities; 
(5) describe how such Plan leverages the United 
States peace and security programs; and 
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(6) assess the increased access of youth-led and 
youth-serving organizations to grants provided by 
USAID. 
(c) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—For the 6-year period 
beginning on the date of the submission of the initial re-
port required under subsection (a), the USAID Adminis-
trator shall submit to Congress a report on the status of 
the implementation of such Plan, the progress made in 
achieving the elements described in section 8(a), and any 
changes to such Plan every other year since the date of 
the submission of the most recent prior report. 
(d) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.—The 
information referred to in subsections (a) and (b) shall 
be timely made available on the public website of USAID 
in a consolidated, downloadable, and machine-searchable 
format. 
Æ 
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