By Priya Kadka, Peace Building Coordinator, Youth4Change.
Cotonou, Benin | August 2026: Peacebuilding is often understood as the responsibility of governments, international institutions or professional negotiators. However, discussions at the World Social Forum (WSF) 2026 in Cotonou, Benin, offered a broader and more hopeful understanding: peace is created every day through education, dialogue, inclusion, cultural values, nonviolent action and community participation.
On 7 August 2026, I participated in two important workshops addressing youth leadership, nonviolent social action and peace education. The workshops brought together young people, peace activists, women leaders, educators, researchers, traditional leaders and representatives of civil society organisations from different countries. Their experiences demonstrated that sustainable peace cannot be imposed from above. It must be built from within communities, with the active participation of those most affected by inequality, exclusion and violence.
Young People Are Not Merely Beneficiaries
The first workshop, “Youth and Peace: Promoting Youth Leadership and Nonviolent Social Action Focused on Marginalised Communities,” challenged the common perception that young people are simply beneficiaries of development and peace programmes.
Young people are frequently portrayed either as victims of conflict or as potential sources of unrest. The workshop presented a different narrative: young people can be leaders, organisers, mediators and builders of peace. When they are provided with knowledge, opportunities and supportive platforms, they can address injustice, reduce conflict and mobilise communities through nonviolent action.
The discussion highlighted the importance of involving young people in identifying community problems and developing solutions. Programmes designed for young people without their participation often fail to reflect their realities. Meaningful youth engagement requires listening to their experiences, respecting their ideas and allowing them to take responsibility for action.
I shared experiences from my own engagement with young people and marginalised communities in India. These experiences included promoting youth participation, encouraging community engagement and creating opportunities for young people to become active contributors to social change. Presenting grassroots experiences in an international forum helped me recognise that local initiatives can make an important contribution to global conversations on peace and justice.
Nonviolence as Courageous Social Action
One of the central messages of the workshop was that nonviolence should not be misunderstood as silence, weakness or passive acceptance of injustice. Nonviolent action requires courage, discipline and collective leadership. It allows communities to confront injustice without reproducing hatred and violence.
Dialogue, peaceful mobilisation, community education, advocacy and collective action can provide meaningful alternatives to aggression. These methods are particularly important in marginalised communities, where people may experience discrimination, economic inequality, exclusion and limited access to decision-making.
Peacebuilding must therefore address the conditions that create conflict. A society cannot achieve lasting peace while sections of its population continue to experience injustice or humiliation. Peace is not simply the absence of physical violence; it is the presence of dignity, equality, opportunity and justice.
The question-and-answer session allowed participants from Africa and India to exchange practical ideas about youth-led peacebuilding. Although communities in different countries face different political, cultural and social realities, many of their struggles are connected. Young people everywhere seek dignity, recognition, equality and the opportunity to shape their future.
Peace Education Must Begin Early
The second workshop, “Education for Peace in Schools, Universities and Communities,” examined how education can create the foundation for peaceful and inclusive societies. The speakers emphasised that peace education should not be treated as an occasional activity or an additional classroom subject. It should influence the entire educational environment—the way teachers communicate, students relate to one another, institutions manage disagreements and communities respond to diversity.
Children and young people must learn how to listen, communicate respectfully, question prejudice, understand different perspectives and resolve disagreements without violence. These abilities are as important as academic knowledge. If education produces highly qualified individuals who lack empathy, ethical responsibility and respect for others, it cannot fully serve society.
Schools and universities can create safe spaces where students discuss conflict, inequality, discrimination, identity and social justice. Such conversations help young people understand that disagreements are natural, but violence is not inevitable. They can learn to challenge injustice while respecting human dignity.
Peace education must also extend beyond educational institutions. Families, neighbourhoods, religious institutions, community organisations and public spaces shape the attitudes of young people. Building a culture of peace therefore requires cooperation among educators, parents, civil society organisations and community leaders.
Culture, Inclusion and Women’s Leadership
The discussions also reminded participants that peacebuilding must respect local knowledge, community traditions and cultural values. Communities possess their own practices of dialogue, reconciliation, mutual support and collective decision-making. These traditions can become powerful resources for resolving conflicts when they promote equality and human dignity.
At the same time, cultural practices must be examined critically when they reinforce discrimination or silence marginalised voices. Peace cannot be built by excluding women, young people, minority communities or people affected by poverty and injustice.
The participation of women leaders in peacebuilding is particularly important. Women often hold communities together during crises and contribute significantly to reconciliation, care and social reconstruction. Yet their leadership is frequently overlooked in formal decision-making. Sustainable peace requires women to participate not only as victims or beneficiaries, but as equal leaders and decision-makers.
Building International Solidarity
Beyond the formal sessions, the World Social Forum created valuable opportunities to interact with young people from different countries. We exchanged experiences about youth participation, inequality, peacebuilding and community development.
These conversations revealed that, despite differences in language, nationality and culture, young people share many aspirations. They want societies where people can live with dignity, participate in decisions and resolve disagreements without hatred or violence.
Networking at international gatherings is not simply about exchanging contact details. It can create long-term platforms for learning, solidarity and collaboration. Youth networks can connect local struggles with wider movements and ensure that grassroots experiences influence international discussions.
From Discussion to Action
The two workshops connected three essential elements of social transformation: youth leadership, nonviolent action and peace education. Youth leadership provides energy and innovation. Nonviolent action provides an ethical and practical method for confronting injustice. Peace education develops the values and abilities needed to sustain change across generations.
My participation strengthened my conviction that peacebuilding is a shared responsibility. Governments and institutions have important roles, but they cannot create peace alone. Educators, families, community organisations, traditional leaders, women’s groups and young people must all participate.
The experience has motivated me to continue encouraging young people in my community to take leadership, engage in dialogue and respond to injustice through peaceful collective action. Peacebuilding becomes meaningful when international discussions inspire local initiatives and when local experiences enrich global learning.
The most powerful message from Cotonou was clear: young people are not waiting for peace to be delivered to them. When empowered with knowledge, dialogue, values and the courage to act non-violently, they become powerful architects of a more just and peaceful world.
