Putting Youth Combatants on the Global Agenda: From the UN Human Rights Council to the UN Security Council

Tuesday, 16 June 2026, 5.30pm to 7.30pm

Youth have long been recognised as central to international peace and security. The UN Security Council’s Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda and a growing array of youth-focused frameworks reflect a global consensus on their importance. One significant group however has been critically left behind, namely ‘Youth Associated with Non-State Armed Groups (YANSAG).’ Although young, they have rarely been seen or engaged as young people with potential. More often, they are framed as spoilers or security threats to be contained. They are, in short, the hidden youth of today’s conflicts.

This seminar explores how we understand YANSAG, and how the international community can better recognise their realities and unlock their unique capacity as agents of peace.

Dr. Nagai will examine how YANSAG are addressed, and could be addressed, through the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council, and what more is needed now.

The event includes a live video link with a YANSAG member, joining from a conflict-affected area to share their perspective directly.

Dr. Yosuke Nagai is the Executive Director of Accept International and the Founder of the Global Taskforce for Youth Combatants. Since 2011, he has led the design and implementation of deradicalization, reintegration, and rehabilitation programs for disengaged members of non-state armed groups in conflict-affected contexts such as Somalia and Yemen. He has also actively promoted dialogue and reconciliation initiatives in highly sensitive environments, including Palestine. He holds a PhD in Social Science from Waseda University and a Master’s degree in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He has served as a Visiting Fellow at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Global Security Programme, University of Oxford. In addition, he contributes to the work of various United Nations bodies through participation in Youth Advisory Boards, Expert Group Meetings, and Technical Working Groups.

More information about OxPeace: https://www.politics.ox.ac.[…]work-peace-studies-oxpeace.

Speaker(s): Dr Yosuke Nagai (Global Security Programme)

Series: OxPeace

Venue: St John's College - St John's College St Giles' Oxford Oxfordshire OX1 3JP United Kingdom

Department: Politics & Int Relations (Department)

Organiser: Dr Harry Bregazzi, Dr Liz Carmichael

Host: OxPeace