Call for Applications: Young Women Peacebuilders Programme in the Arab States – Third Cohort

The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), in partnership with the UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States (ROAS), is pleased to announce the call for applications for the third cohort of the Young Women Peacebuilders Programme in the Arab States.

Background

Sustainable peace requires women’s full and meaningful participation in conflict prevention, resolution, and peacebuilding efforts. Young women, in particular, bring essential perspectives, innovative approaches, and a commitment to inclusive solutions.

Recognizing their critical role, UN Women ROAS and IFI launched the Young Women Peacebuilders Programme. Implemented through IFI’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Hub, the programme enhances young women’s skills and knowledge for leadership and participation in peace processes across the region.

Following the success of the first two cohorts in 2021 and 2023, the programme continues to support emerging peacebuilders capacities, to advance UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 2250 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Arab States. Graduates from the training programme will benefit from continued engagement through the Young Women Peacebuilders Network, fostering ongoing collaboration and peer-exchange opportunities.

This initiative is part of the programme “Enhancing Women’s Leadership for Sustainable Peace in Fragile Contexts in the MENA region”, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

About the Young Women Peacebuilders Programme

The Young Women Peacebuilders Programme aims to strengthen the skills and knowledge of young women across the Arab States to engage actively in peace and security efforts. Aligned with the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agendas, the programme builds participants’ knowledge on peacebuilding, conflict analysis, mediation, and advocacy while promoting young women’s meaningful participation and leadership in peace processes.

Building on the success of the 2023 cohort, which trained 46 young women from 13 countries in the region and launched a regional peacebuilders network, the 2025 edition will select 30–35 young women, with priority given to applicants from Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen.

Duration

• 40 hours of online learning activities over 8 days. 
• The programme will run every day from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM (except for Fridays and weekends) from 11 August 2025 to 21 August 2025
• A graduation ceremony will take place one week after the official end of the programme, on August 28th.
• The week between the end of the programme and the graduation (August 21–28) will be dedicated to group work and finalization of the graduation project.
• Participation during this final week may be voluntary, but we require all applicants to be available until August 28th to ensure full engagement with the learning journey.

Delivery Language and Platform

• Language: The programme will be delivered in Arabic. For international experts’ seminars, translation service into Arabic will be provided.
• Platform: The programme will be fully hosted online.

Core Topics Include:

• UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 2250, and subsequent resolutions forming the WPS and YPS agendas.
• Gender and conflict-sensitive peacebuilding
• Mediation and negotiation skills
• Conflict resolution and reconciliation strategies
• Preventive diplomacy
• Regional case studies

Participants will complete a mandatory graduation project to demonstrate their learning and contributions.

Young Women Peacebuilders Network

Graduates of the programme will be invited to join the Young Women Peacebuilders Network, a regional platform for alumni from all programme cohorts. Through the Network, members:

• Connect through virtual meetings for peer exchanges, training, and networking
• Collaborate on peacebuilding initiatives
• Continue skill-building and leadership development through mentorship and capacity sharing beyond the training

The Network sustains a strong community of practice and extends the programme’s impact.

To be eligible for consideration, candidates must

• Be a woman national of a Member State within the UN Women Arab States area of responsibility (Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen).
• Be aged between 18 to 35.
• Demonstrate previous experiences engaging and leading on issues related to peacebuilding, human rights, women’s rights, youth rights, and women’s empowerment.
• Be involved in youth-led/serving organizations or informal initiatives with youth outreach
• Not have previously benefitted from the Young Women Peacebuilders programme in the Arab States
• Have regular access to and basic proficiency with communication technologies
• Women from conflict or post-conflict countries, refugee women, women with disabilities and rural women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Note: Proficiency in English is preferred but not mandatory.

Benefits of Participation

Members of the Young Women Peacebuilders will have access to the following:

• Receive mentorship from IFI, UN Women, and regional experts
• Join a diverse network of young women peacebuilders across the Arab States
• Access opportunities to attend meetings and regional events
• Build practical skills in mediation, conflict resolution, and advocacy
• Earn a certificate co-signed by IFI and UN Women
• Contribute to shaping regional peace and security agendas

Application

If you are interested in applying for the Young Women Peacebuilders programme, please complete the application form available here.

Deadline

Deadline for applications: Monday, 14 July 2025