UNESCO strengthens youth leadership to build peaceful, violence-free societies

In Peru, around 8 million people are between the ages of 15 and 29, representing 22.8% of the country’s total population. This is a diverse generation, with different backgrounds, territories, interests and forms of participation.

The latest data from the Youth Observatory of the National Secretariat for Youth (SENAJU) highlight some of the challenges young people face. In 2024, 45.5% of young people aged 15 to 29 were exclusively engaged in work, while 17.4% were neither studying nor working.

In terms of well-being, 13% of the young population reported experiencing at least one depressive episode during the previous twelve months in 2024. Inequalities are also reflected in violence. In 2024, 34.7% of women aged 15 to 29 reported having experienced family violence perpetrated by their husband or partner during the previous twelve months.

These figures illustrate some of the challenges facing young people, but they do not tell the whole story. There are also the responses emerging from communities, the projects taking root, the networks being built and the voices finding spaces in which to be heard.

The nearly 40 young people selected for YoD-CoP 2026 are developing projects and exercising leadership in areas such as environmental and territorial protection, cultural identity, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, the promotion of lives free from violence, gender equality, human rights, inclusion, child protection, youth participation, education, democracy, science and cultural management.

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