Young people, who make up most of the population in the Great Lakes region, have been exposed to direct violence, including displacement, forced recruitment in armed groups, and sexual and gender-based violence. They also face the consequences of indirect violence, such as intergenerational trauma, lack of schooling opportunities, as well as lack of jobs and livelihood options. Nonetheless, young people are often overlooked as critical actors in peacebuilding at both national and regional levels, especially young women, who face additional barriers.

Beginning in 2013 and now in its third phase, this flagship initiative has expanded from Burundi, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to include Uganda. The programme empowers youth and women to actively engage in local and regional peace processes by building leadership capacities and promoting inclusive governance. This initiative is implemented by Interpeace and its regional partners: Centre d’Alerte et de prévention des conflits (CENAP), Action pour la Paix et la Concorde (APC), Pole Institute, Vision Jeunesse Nouvelle (VJN), and Refugee Law Project (RLP). The programme Development Cooperation currently funds the programme.

Programme activities are designed to foster inclusive and sustainable peace by engaging actors across borders and at all levels of society. In its previous phases, these activities included supporting the establishment and operation of Permanent Dialogue Groups (GDPs), which serve as trusted platforms for community-level conflict resolution, and the running of the Youth Innovation Lab for Peace (YouthLab), which builds the leadership, advocacy, and peace-building skills of young change-makers across the region.

In its current third phase, it promotes youth leadership in peacebuilding processes at the regional, national, and local levels by strengthening their capacity through training and mentorship, supporting youth peacebuilding initiatives, and creating opportunities for them to engage with decision-makers and play a catalytic role in reform processes related to cross-border peacebuilding. Complementing these grassroots efforts, Interpeace engages in Track Six advocacy, strategically linking local realities with national and regional policy processes to influence decision-makers and promote inclusive governance.