Youth Peace Ambassador

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in some 170 countries and territories, supporting their own solutions to development challenges and developing national and local capacities that will help them achieve human development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is concentrated on three main focus areas: Sustainable development; Democratic governance and peacebuilding; Climate and disaster resilience. UNDP helps countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we promote gender equality and the protection of human rights. UNDP has enhanced its support to countries to work towards the eradication of extreme poverty, enabling us to build back better and work towards innovative solutions to the complex global challenges. We have refined our service offering through six signature solutions to provide a more integrated response to the development challenges that we are all facing in this complex global environment. This includes a mix of policy advice, technical assistance, catalytic financing and innovative programmes tailored to country specific needs to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals through six our signature solutions on - poverty, governance, resilience, environment, energy, gender equality.

Zambia has made significant strides in strengthening democratic governance and electoral processes. This has been achieved through progressive constitutional, legislative and practices aligned with regional and international frameworks that promote gender inclusive participation and peaceful electoral and political engagement. The 2021 electoral cycle demonstrated improved voter turnout, stakeholder engagement, and electoral dispute resolution mechanisms. While these mechanisms contributed to mitigating conflict, the high number of electoral petitions, misinformation and disinformation, and localized incidents of violence indicate underlying structural and socio-political tensions. These dynamics highlight the need for sustained investments in conflict prevention, civic education, and inclusive engagement, especially at community level.

Youth play a central role in this context. As a majority demographic- youths constitute over 60% of Zambia’s population - they are highly visible in political processes, as voters, mobilizers, candidates, and campaigners. However, socio-economic challenges, including unemployment, exclusion from decision-making, and limited access to civic and peace education, young people remain vulnerable to manipulation, recruitment into political violence, and exposure to misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, particularly through digital platforms, pose a growing threat to peaceful electoral processes.

At the same time, youth are critical stakeholders in peacebuilding. UN Security Council Resolution 2250 sets out a global Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) framework which recognizes that sustainable peace is unattainable without the inclusion and leadership of young people in decision-making and conflict prevention processes. When empowered, youth represent a powerful force for positive change, serve as innovators, communicators, and bridge-builders within their communities.

In this regard, the Deepening Democracy Project’s focus on strengthening conflict prevention, enhancing stakeholder engagement, and promoting inclusive participation (Outcome 4.0) provides a strong foundation for integrating youth as active agents of peace. As such, integrating the YPS dimension into electoral processes means moving beyond viewing youth as beneficiaries or risks, and instead positioning them as strategic partners in safeguarding electoral integrity and promoting peaceful democratic transitions.

Therefore, the recruitment of Youth Peace Ambassadors (YPAs) constitutes a strategic intervention aligned with the project’s objective of reducing electoral violence and strengthening conflict prevention mechanisms in Zambia.

Under the guidance of the Senior Elections Advisor and implementing partners, the Youth Peace Ambassadors will:

• Conduct community-based civic and voter education sessions;
• Facilitate dialogue and mediation to prevent and de-escalate tensions;
• Lead peer-to-peer youth engagement initiatives;
• Participate in radio, television, and social media campaigns;
• Promote messages of non-violence, tolerance, and democratic participation;
• Identify and report early warning signs of electoral conflict;
• Counter misinformation and harmful narratives online.