Srruthi Lekha Raaja Elango is UN representative for peacebuilding and leadership and youth action initiative coordinator of the Women’s Federation for World Peace, Geneva.
To de-escalate the conflict and to promote peaceful governance, we need to maximize
the political participation of the region’s majority population — youth — through
changes in mandatory military service, the education system, and civil society support.
The implementation of international human rights protections such as UNSCR 1325
and 2250 and the Responsibility to Protect doctrine is more than an obligation if we
are to attain justice, peace, security, and democracy in the region; it is the future.