,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fagd ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #aj1 #bjbj,ms4 ,meng 7for herself1 ,mrs4 ,brooks of ,indiana1 ,mr4 ,phillips1 and ,mr4 ,curtis7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to support the inclusive and meaningful participation of youth in peace building and conflict prevention1 management1 and resolution1 as well as post-conflict relief and recovery efforts4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,youth1 ,peace1 and ,security ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,there are currently #a4h billion youth in the world1 the largest number ever to have existed4 7#b7 ,youth represent the majority of the population in many conflict-affected countries1 where on average #ej percent of the population is below the age of #bj1 and in some countries more than #gj percent of the population is below the age of #cj4 7#c7 ,around the world1 youth remain under-represented in peace building and conflict prevention1 management1 and resolution1 and post-conflict relief and recovery efforts4 7#d7 ,violence impacts over #a billion people globally each year4 7#e7 ,youth and youth-led groups and movements led by them have demonstrated the capacity to play critical roles in-- 7,a7 de-escalating conflict from spreading2 7,b7 preventing recurring cycles of violence in communities2 7,c7 effectively encouraging defection from armed groups2 7,d7 improving the effectiveness and sustainability of peace agreements2 7,e7 improving social cohesion and resilience to violence and recruitment2 and 7,f7 strengthening a culture of peace and security4 7#f7 ,youth are critical actors in grassroots community development1 despite operational risks and limited technical and financial support for their work4 7#g7 ,preventive and resilience-based approaches to youth are more effective at reducing violence than hard security responses and at-risk and remedial approaches1 which are often counterproductive4 7#h7 ,youth who have participated in ,united ,states-supported civic engagement and development programs were less likely to participate in or support political violence4 7#i7 ,youth participation in the design and implementation of community development strategies is critical for effectively reducing violence and extremism1 and increasing peace4 7#aj7 ,united ,nations ,security ,council ,resolution #bbej on ,youth1 ,peace1 and ,security1 which was adopted on ,december #i1 #bjae1 formalized an international framework to address the role of youth in building and sustaining peace and preventing conflict4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,united ,states ,government should-- 7#a7 promote the meaningful participation of youth in peace building and conflict prevention1 management1 and resolution1 as well as post-conflict relief and recovery efforts1 reinforced through diplomatic efforts and programs2 7#b7 provide assistance to and build the capacity of youth-led organizations dedicated to advancing peace and review administrative and bureaucratic impediments to achieving this aim2 7#c7 build on existing ,united ,states ,government strategies addressing youth to ensure the meaningful and inclusive participation of youth in decision making at all levels and1 at a minimum1 such decision making should be designed and assessed in consultation with diverse1 representative youth2 7#d7 integrate youth outreach and engagement into relevant conflict-resolution1 leadership1 and democracy and governance programs supported by the ,united ,states ,government2 and 7#e7 include age- and gender-responsive policies and programming in the design1 implementation1 and evaluation of relevant ,united ,states foreign assistance programs4 #d4 ,statement of policy ,it shall be the policy of the ,united ,states to promote the inclusive and meaningful participation of youth in peace building and conflict prevention1 management1 and resolution1 as well as post-conflict relief and recovery efforts1 reinforced through diplomatic efforts and assistance programs that-- 7#a7 elevate and incorporate mainstream1 the perspectives and interests of affected youth into conflict-prevention1 violence-reduction1 and post-conflict peace building activities and strategies2 7#b7 increase meaningful and inclusive youth participation in program planning and policy development related to conflict-prevention and violence-reduction and security-sector initiatives funded by the ,united ,states ,government2 7#c7 promote the safety1 economic security1 and dignity of youth in conflict and other high-risk environments2 7#d7 provide technical and financial support to diverse youth-led groups1 initiatives1 and innovations working on issues of peace and security2 7#e7 support the equal access of youth to ,united ,states foreign assistance aid distribution mechanisms and services2 7#f7 encourage partner governments to adopt plans to increase meaningful youth participation in peace and security processes and decision-making institutions2 and 7#g7 recognize the unique context girls and young women experience in conflict settings by adjusting programs and policies that pertain to the achievement of the strategy and policy goals of this ,act to protect girls and young women's physical safety1 economic security1 and dignity1 while supporting their equal access to aid distribution and prioritizing programs to improve outcomes in gender equality and their empowerment4 #e4 ,establishment of ,youth ,coordinator 7a7 ,in general ,the ,president shall designate a current employee of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid7 serving in a career or non-career position in the ,senior ,executive ,service or at the level of a ,deputy ,assistant ,administrator or higher to serve concurrently as a coordinator for components of overseas conflict prevention1 management1 and resolution1 and post-conflict relief and recovery efforts related to youth 7in this section referred to as the ,coordinator74 ,the position of the ,coordinator shall be located in ,,usaid's ,bureau for ,development1 ,democracy1 and ,innovation4 7b7 ,duties ,the ,coordinator shall-- 7#a7 have the primary responsibility for the coordination of all resources and international activities of the ,united ,states ,government appropriated or used for overseas conflict prevention1 management1 and resolution1 and post-conflict relief and recovery efforts related to youth2 7#b7 lead implementation of the strategy established under section #f2 7#c7 lead revision1 not less frequently than once every #e years1 of the strategy established under section #f2 7#d7 establish an advisory group of experts to advise the ,coordinator on the development and implementation of the strategy established under section #f-- 7,a7 which shall be composed of representatives of relevant civil society1 international organizations1 and ,united ,states ,government entities2 7,b7 of which not less than #cj percent of such representatives should be youth2 and 7,c7 which shall facilitate exchanges between a diverse range of youth leaders across the country to connect youth and government officials around the world on the youth1 peace1 and security agenda and use these exchanges to provide insight and improvements to the strategy2 7#e7 coordinate with relevant ,federal agencies1 including the ,department of ,defense1 the ,department of ,state1 and the ,national ,security ,agency1 the ,united ,nations ,youth ,envoy and ,envoy on ,children in ,armed ,conflict1 the private sector and relevant partner entities as appropriate1 to carry out the strategy established under section #f and to align current and future investments with effective1 evidence based interventions2 7#f7 provide direction to the design and oversight of grants1 contracts1 and cooperative agreements with nongovernmental organizations and private sector entities for the purpose of carrying out the strategy established under section #f2 and 7#g7 support the designation of a ,youth ,point of ,contact 7,,ypoc7 in diplomatic overseas missions and ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development bureaus1 as selected by the ,coordinator4 7c7 ,restriction on additional or supplemental compensation ,the ,coordinator shall receive no additional or supplemental compensation as a result of carrying out responsibilities and duties under this section4 #f4 ,strategy 7a7 ,in general ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,,usaid ,administrator1 shall coordinate the development and implementation of a ,united ,states whole-of-government strategy to accomplish the policy objective set forth in section #d1 which shall-- 7#a7 prioritize funding programs that provide training and technical assistance to youth engaged in peace building1 violence prevention1 mediation1 and negotiation and peacekeeping to the extent practicable2 7#b7 integrate youth consultation in program design and implementation as assessment criteria within the procurement process during the ,united ,states foreign assistance and acquisition application process2 7#c7 create standards for collecting and analyzing age and gender data for the purpose of developing and enhancing early warning and response systems for conflict1 mass violence1 and atrocities2 7#d7 support youth peace builders to participate in communities of practice and virtual mentorships programs aimed at improving monitoring1 evaluation1 reporting1 and program management capacities2 7#e7 encourage the development of youth-inclusive transitional justice and accountability mechanisms1 disengagement1 and reintegration programs2 7#f7 support inclusive education with a focus on context-specific critical thinking skills1 socioemotional learning1 and conflict resolution2 7#g7 identify and address barriers through age-disaggregated analysis to youth participation in programs described in paragraph 7#a7 and improve program design and targeting2 7#h7 include youth in assessments of ,united ,states peace and security initiatives2 and 7#i7 support the use of quotas for the direct and gender-equitable participation of youth in all phases of formal peace and political transition processes1 from pre-negotiation to implementation1 including in national dialogues1 constitution-making1 transitional justice1 and other political processes related to peace and security4 7b7 ,agency-,specific plans ,the strategy shall include specific implementation plans from each relevant ,federal agency that describes the anticipated technical1 financial1 and in-kind contributions to integrate the strategy into ongoing planning processes4 7c7 ,regional plans ,the strategy shall include specific implementation plans and consideration in consultation with each regional bureau within the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 the ,department of ,state1 and the ,department of ,defense as part of ongoing planning processes including relevant ,country ,development ,cooperation ,strategies and ,joint ,regional ,strategies4 #g4 ,development assistance to expand training1 technical assistance1 and grants managed and controlled by youth leaders 7a7 ,in general ,section #beb of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bbaa;a7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a7-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#e71 by striking and at the end2 7,b7 in paragraph 7#f71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#g7 assistance to expand training1 technical assistance1 and grant management managed and controlled by youth leaders4 2 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following3 7d7 ,definition ,in subsection 7a77#g71 the term youth means individuals who have attained the age of #af but have not attained the age of #cj4 4 7b7 ,youth1 ,peace1 and ,security ,fund 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,coordinator is authorized to provide grants1 emergency assistance1 and technical assistance to eligible youth-led civil society organizations and youth peace building implementers who seek to achieve the following3 7,a7 ,peace building4 7,b7 ,conflict prevention4 7,c7 ,conflict management4 7,d7 ,conflict resolution4 7,e7 ,post-conflict relief and recovery efforts4 7,f7 ,assistance for those who require immediate support in the face of legal and safety concerns due to their participation in the activities described in subparagraph 7,a71 7,b71 7,c71 7,d71 or 7,e74 7#b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this subsection4 ,amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under this paragraph may be referred to as the ,youth1 ,peace1 and ,security ,fund4 #h4 ,youth defined ,in this ,act1 the term youth means individuals who have attained the age of #af but have not attained the age of #cj4