A Paradigm Shift in Peacemaking

NAIROBI – Global leaders, security chiefs, and child advocates gathered in Nairobi have issued a resounding call for a fundamental shift in peace processes: to treat children not merely as victims of conflict, but as essential architects of lasting stability. This was the core message from the Global Conference on Advancing Children's Roles in Peace Processes and the Vancouver Principles, hosted by the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace, and Security from Monday, November 17 to Wednesday, November 19, 2025, EAT.

The forum convened against a backdrop of alarming statistics. A recent report from the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, released in August 2025, revealed a staggering 25% surge in grave violations against children in 2024 compared to the previous year. Dr. Najat Maalla M'jid, the Acting Special Representative, stated on August 26, 2025, that children are being starved, displaced, and killed, underscoring that sustainable peace is the only path to ensuring their protection. Further analysis by Save the Children, released in November 2025, indicates that the number of attacks on schools in conflict zones has tripled since 2020.

Kenya's Commitment and Regional Stakes

For Kenya, a nation pivotal to stability in the Horn of Africa, the conference's resolutions carry significant weight. Representing the Kenyan government, Arthur Olanda, Director of Peace and Security at the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, affirmed the country's commitment to this new paradigm. "Sustainable peace is only possible when grounded in the protection, empowerment, and genuine inclusion of all people, including children and youth," Olanda stated at the forum. He highlighted Kenya's National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security and its support for the IGAD Child Policy Framework as concrete steps. This is anchored in Kenya's 2010 Constitution, which explicitly protects children from abuse, neglect, and all forms of violence.

The issue is critically relevant for East Africa, a region where conflicts in Somalia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to exact a heavy toll on children. According to a November 2025 report by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Africa has the highest number of children living in conflict zones, totaling 218 million in 2024. The African Union (AU) has acknowledged the crisis, with its Peace and Security Council repeatedly deliberating on the issue and establishing the Africa Platform on Children Affected by Armed Conflicts (AP-CAAC) in July 2021 to coordinate protection efforts.

From Legal Theory to Practical Application

Speakers at the conference emphasized that including children in peace talks is a legal and moral obligation, not an act of charity. This right is enshrined in Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and reinforced by the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The AU's Agenda 2040, a framework for creating an "Africa fit for children," explicitly includes the aspiration that "every child is free from the impact of armed conflicts" and that "African children's views matter."

Dr. Shelly Whitman, Executive Director of the Dallaire Institute, set a powerful tone in her opening remarks by introducing the youth delegates first. "This gathering is more than a conference. It is a critical step to ensure that children are not only protected from conflict but recognised as agents of positive peace," Whitman declared. The conference also marked the eighth anniversary of the Vancouver Principles, global commitments to prevent the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

The call to action builds on the legacy of Graça Machel's seminal 1996 UN report, "Impact of armed conflict on children," which first identified children as the primary victims of war and recommended the creation of a dedicated UN Special Representative. Two decades on, the challenge has evolved from recognition to implementation. Child delegates at a 2022 conference from Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Somalia issued concrete recommendations, including prioritizing dialogue to resolve conflicts and endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration. The Fifth International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration was also held in Nairobi on November 25-26, 2025, reinforcing the city's growing role as a hub for global peace and youth advocacy initiatives.

As the Nairobi conference concluded, the imperative was clear: peace agreements that ignore the voices and needs of children are building on fragile foundations. For Kenya and its partners in the region, integrating the youth perspective into peacebuilding is no longer an option, but a strategic necessity for breaking intergenerational cycles of violence.