Finland issues its second National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security

Finland’s second National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security has been published. The Action Plan serves as a roadmap for involving young people in peace and security work in ministries and organisations alike, both nationally and internationally. The ownership and participation of young people was the guiding principle in the preparation of the Action Plan. The second National Action Plan is the result of broad cooperation between young people and youth organisations, the central government, research institutions, and civil society.

While youth, peace and security work has been carried out extensively in different countries in recent years, action plans have only been completed by eleven countries, most of them on the African continent. Through its proactive actions, Finland is also a frontrunner in youth, peace and security work on a global scale. In this role, it will continue to be able to set an example in the implementation of the UN Resolution, encouraging other countries to take action.

“Youth, Peace and Security work enables us to improve intergenerational confidence and understanding, strengthen young people’s trust in societal structures and their sense of civic capacity, and, most importantly, we will get new perspectives and solutions to topical issues,” said Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen at the launch of the Action Plan on 1 December 2025.

One in four young people in the world, equalling 600 million people, live in fragile countries or in countries affected by or recovering from conflict. Yet young people are often excluded from the official decision-making and peace processes. The UN Security Council Resolution 2250, which was adopted in 2015, recognised the positive and active role of youth in building peace and security. This landmark Resolution and the subsequent Resolutions 2419 and 2535, adopted in 2018 and 2020 respectively, urge UN Member States to recognise the aspirations, perspectives and rights of youth and their need for protection and to involve them in all stages of peace processes.

Finland’s second National Action Plan for Youth, Peace and Security 2025–2028 is available in Finnish, Swedish and English in the Institutional Repository for the Government (Valto).