Youth as Architects of Peace: Am-YAT's Disruptive Model for Diplomacy

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – November 27, 2025 – In the storied halls of the Peace Palace, a new generation is being recognized not just for demanding a seat at the table, but for building their own. On December 12, the Americas Youth Advocacy Team (Am-YAT) will receive the 2025 Youth Carnegie Peace Prize, a prestigious acknowledgment of their innovative model for transforming peacebuilding from an abstract ideal into an actionable, youth-led enterprise. This award signals a significant shift in how we approach global conflict resolution, highlighting a potent new force in international relations: organized, data-driven youth networks.

Am-YAT's win is more than a feel-good story; it's a case study in disruption. In a field dominated by established institutions and decades-old diplomatic protocols, this nimble organization demonstrates how the principles of network effects, data-driven strategy, and grassroots empowerment can create scalable impact. For business leaders and investors, their model offers a compelling look at the future of social innovation and the power of decentralized movements to influence entrenched systems.

The Networked Approach to Peacebuilding

Established in just May 2024 under the umbrella of the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY), Am-YAT operates less like a traditional NGO and more like a distributed, modern network. The team unites 25 young peacebuilders from 16 different youth-led organizations across North, Central, and South America. This pan-American structure is its core strategic advantage, enabling it to synthesize diverse local experiences into a cohesive regional voice. Instead of a top-down hierarchy, Am-YAT fosters a collaborative ecosystem where insights from grassroots initiatives in one country can inform advocacy strategies in another.

This networked model directly addresses a long-standing challenge in peacebuilding: the gap between high-level policy and on-the-ground reality. By connecting activists working on everything from environmental rights to conflict prevention, Am-YAT creates a powerful feedback loop. Their July 2024 "Americas Youth Peace Summit" in Buenos Aires was not just a conference, but a strategic planning session designed to align the network's goals and amplify their collective influence on the regional peace architecture.

The jury for the Youth Carnegie Peace Prize specifically lauded this approach, stating, "The young people of Americas Youth Advocacy Team know how to bring ideas and numbers to life in everyday experiences... all while connecting young peacebuilders across North America, the Caribbean, and Latin America." This ability to translate abstract goals into tangible, shared experiences is the hallmark of a successful network, whether in commerce or in peace.

From Data to Dialogue: The 'Catalyst for Change' Blueprint

The centerpiece of Am-YAT's innovative strategy is its flagship report, 'Catalyst for Change: Youth Leadership in Rights, Diversity and Social Cohesion Across the Americas.' Launched in April 2025 and funded by the European Commission, this is not merely an academic paper. It is an evidence-based advocacy tool, a meticulously crafted product designed to arm young leaders and persuade policymakers.

The report addresses critical gaps in research on the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda, focusing on three core themes:
1. Youth Involvement in Conflict Resolution and Prevention: Showcasing practical examples of youth-led activism that works.
2. Youth Advocacy for Human and Environmental Rights: Connecting the fight for justice and sustainability to the broader peace agenda.
3. Unity in Diversity: Tackling Polarisation Together: Providing strategies for building social cohesion in increasingly fractured societies.

By grounding its advocacy in survey data and real-world case studies, Am-YAT elevates the conversation beyond impassioned pleas. It presents a business case for youth inclusion, demonstrating tangible outcomes and offering actionable recommendations. This data-driven approach transforms young people from mere stakeholders into essential strategic partners. As the prize jury noted, the report serves as a "strategic tool for advocating youth involvement, mobilizing investment in youth-led peace initiatives, and fostering a strong sense of empowerment." It is, in essence, a blueprint for turning youth potential into measurable progress.

Implementing a Global Mandate

Am-YAT's work does not exist in a vacuum. It is a direct response to a growing global consensus codified in a series of landmark United Nations Security Council Resolutions. The Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda, initiated by UNSCR 2250 in 2015, marked a paradigm shift. For the first time, an international policy framework formally recognized the positive role of youth in maintaining peace and security, urging member states to ensure their meaningful participation in decision-making.

Subsequent resolutions have strengthened this mandate. UNSCR 2419 (2018) pushed for greater inclusion of youth perspectives in formal peace negotiations, while UNSCR 2535 (2020) institutionalized the YPS agenda, requiring regular reporting to the Security Council and calling for the protection of "civic and political spaces" for young peacebuilders.

These resolutions provide the international legal and political framework, but organizations like Am-YAT are the implementation engine. They are translating the high-level language of the UN into grassroots action and holding policymakers accountable. Their work demonstrates how international frameworks, when activated by focused, regional networks, can become powerful levers for change rather than remaining aspirational documents on a shelf.

The Carnegie Seal: Validating a New Model

The Youth Carnegie Peace Prize, awarded at the global center of international law, is a powerful validation of Am-YAT's disruptive model. Following the 2023 winner, World's Youth for Climate Justice, which leveraged international law to fight climate change, Am-YAT's selection continues a trend of recognizing youth movements that use systemic, strategic approaches to tackle global challenges.

The prize, co-sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation and the Youth Peace Initiative, is designed to spotlight "outstanding best practices" and inspire others. In honoring Am-YAT, the foundation is not just celebrating a single organization; it is endorsing a new methodology for social change. It is sending a clear signal to governments, philanthropists, and international bodies that investing in youth-led, evidence-based advocacy networks is a high-impact strategy for building a more stable and peaceful world.

For the 25 young leaders of Am-YAT, the award is a powerful amplifier for their message. But for observers in the business and policy worlds, it is something more: a clear indicator of an emerging trend. The future of solving complex global problems may not lie solely within traditional institutions, but in the agile, interconnected, and relentlessly innovative networks being built by the next generation of leaders.