Half the world’s population is under 30, and they are organizing, mobilizing, and rebuilding. Young people are leading protests for justice, building cross-border solidarity, and designing solutions for their communities. Yet despite having the greatest stakes in the future, their perspectives are not yet fully integrated into decision-making processes.

The Hear Us. Act Now for a Peaceful World campaign was launched on the International Day of Peace. A tangible impact of the Pact for the Future, the campaign is a year-long global youth campaign that advocates for three catalytic actions that young people have called for repeatedly: inclusion, investment and partnership with youth to build peace. For today’s generation peace is not just the absence of war, it means different things to different people: from having an education, to being able to feed the family, to a life with human rights, justice, and dignity.

At its core are Peace Circles: inclusive, intergenerational dialogues led by young people on issues ranging from political participation to economic opportunities, and gender justice. Their voices will inform the UN Secretary-General’s 2026 study on youth contributions to peace, a key outcome of the 2024 Pact for the Future. Peace Circles are underway from Tanzania to Mexico, Jordan to Honduras, and across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Syria, and at UN Headquarters in New York.

This month, nearly 100 youth activists from every region joined the campaign as trusted micro-influencers, elevating grassroots voices to the global stage. Using local cultures, languages, and strategies, they are leading Peace Circles everywhere, from rural villages to city centers, campuses to health facilities. These are the voices shaping our world. They are calling for meaningful representation and genuine partnership.

Led by the UN Department of Global Communications, the campaign will be rolled out in partnership with the UN Youth, Peace and Security Secretariat, comprising the UN Youth Office, the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and the United Nations Population Fund, in collaboration with the UN System.

Generation Peace: Youth Organizations Leading Change

From classrooms to communities, from city streets to social feeds, young people and their organizations are demanding change, challenging injustice and driving solutions.

Peace Therapist is a youth-led, refugee-founded mental health and peacebuilding initiative working across the Middle East, Türkiye, and globally to strengthen individual and collective resilience in communities affected by conflict, displacement and crisis.

Allies in Action: Working With and For Young People

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) sees young people not as a group to support but as the architects and torchbearers of our collective future. It works every day to break down the barriers that keep youth out of public life, opening doors to economic opportunity and civic engagement.