Futuring peace in Northeast Asia

In 2022, the initiative was implemented in collaboration with the Swiss foreign policy think-tank foraus and co-designed and co-facilitated by Northeast Asian youth. From April to September 2022, four workshops were held where the youth peacebuilders used strategic foresight tools to develop concrete policy recommendations for policymakers, exploring pathways to a peaceful future for the region. Questions were framed using the “Futures Triangle” approach, probing participants to think about future outcomes by looking at three dimensions: the push of the present, the pull from the future, and the weight of the past. Through collective scenario building and testing, they identified four key policy avenues, including establishing digital literacy programs, furthering educational and technological cooperation, creating a regional youth parliament, and fostering an inclusive Metaverse.

As an outcome of the initiative, a youth-drafted policy report on the future of collaboration and narrative building in Northeast Asia was launched on World Futures Day 2 December 2022 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, with Assistant Secretary-General for Asia and the Pacific Khaled Khiari, youth peacebuilders, regional experts and UN partners present.

In addition, in 2022 APD supported youth representatives to attend multiple policy platforms. At the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security (UBD) in June 2022, DPPA, the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute for Strategic Studies jointly organized a youth panel. Youth participants also attended the Climate Change and Youth Forum in Mongolia in August 2022, where they moderated a session on Global Warming and Greenhouse Gas Emissions and facilitated a group work session on strategic foresight, and at the Transforming Education Summit in New York in September 2022, sharing insights on education and technology as enablers for peace in the region.

UN WebTV video of Ms. Ijun Kim as a youth peacebuilder in the Futuring Peace in Northeast Asia project: Ijun's Future: Foresight for Peace | UN Web TV

In 2023, the project focused on policy bridging and supporting youth voices at relevant regional policy fora through events at: (i) Tsinghua University and the North-East Asia Regional Power Interconnection and Cooperation Forum 2023 organized by ESCAP in Beijing (China); (ii) Yonsei University, the National Assembly Futures Institute (NAFI), and the Jeju Forum (Republic of Korea); (iii) the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue for Northeast Asian Security (Mongolia); (iv) Sophia University and the 2023 Internet Governance Forum annual summit (Japan).

In these foras, youth were given a seat at the table in regional discussions and a platform to share their perspectives on regional issues, enabling them to network and connect with policymakers, government officials, NGOs, scholars, and youth. In the discussions, youth emphasized the importance of dialogue, and the need for regional digital literacy education programs to counter the negative impacts of misinformation and a fragmented internet landscape in the region. They also discussed their proposal for a Northeast Asia Youth Climate Council which could address the gap of a lack of a regional mechanism and inclusion of youth in respective national policy spaces.

UN WebTV video of that follows five youth peacebuilders from Northeast Asia and their session at the 2023 Internet Governance Forum in Kyoto, Japan in October 2023: Beyond Boundaries: Futuring Peace in Northeast Asia | UN Web TV

In 2024, the initiative extended the network of young peacebuilders from Northeast Asia to the Pacific region, to strengthen their advocacy capacities in line with the Pact for the Future and the SDG 2030 agenda. Youth peacebuilders from the two regions worked together to increase regional cooperation to address common challenges such as climate change, unregulated emerging technologies, internet fragmentation, mis- and disinformation and hate speech, and enhancing the representation of women and youth in policy dialogues. Throughout the year, DPPA facilitated active intergenerational discussions between youth peacebuilders, experts, government officials and the UN system in support of inclusive political strategies.

In January 2024, DPPA and Finland co-hosted a Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) roundtable in the UN Secretariat, engaging youth, the UN system and Member States. DPPA Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Khaled Khiari, opened the roundtable. The discussion focused on pathways to meaningful youth participation among Northeast Asian youth, and youth peacebuilders presented the status and next steps of their recommendations.

Link to UN WebTV video from Samoa workshop: Empowering Pacific & NE Asia Youth: Peacebuilders & Climate Advocates Workshop | UN Web TV

Outcome document

In May 2024, the initiative supported two youth peacebuilders to participate in a panel session at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity in the Republic of Korea, discussing regional youth-led initiatives for regional cooperation. Youth participants presented youth policy recommendations focusing on technology, innovation, and digital literacy, and how to avoid internet fragmentation.

DPPA hosted a panel session with youth peacebuilders from China and Mongolia at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, Republic of Korea, 29-30 May 2024.

Youth peacebuilders have also continued advancing their policy recommendations from the earlier phases of the project, including for the establishment of a Northeast Asia Youth Climate Council as a dedicated regional entity. Youth with support from DPPA, convened a Preparatory Meeting for the launch of the Northeast Asia Youth Climate Council in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on 5 June 2024. The meeting was a space for youth representing a wide range of climate organizations in the region to network and was an opportunity to strengthen partnerships and increase visibility of the Council with the UN system and other partners. The Council aims to build capacity for meaningful youth engagement in environmental policy and decision-making. The key findings from the meeting were presented at the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security (UBD) on 6-7 June 2024 to signal the upcoming launch of the Council and encourage intergenerational solidarity.

These engagements have provided youth peacebuilders with an opportunity to present and discuss the recommendations with experts and have proved valuable opportunities to exchange ideas and perspectives on the regions’ futures and explore ways to promote peace and collaboration. The project received positive feedback from stakeholders and Member States in both regions.

In 2025, the project continued to create peer-learning platforms for engagement with and between young people and policymakers across the Northeast Asia region along two active workstreams: i) the establishment of the Northeast Asian Youth Climate Council and ii) exploring the transformative role of technology in fostering peace and regional collaboration.

The launch of the Northeast Asian Youth Climate Council (NEAYCC) took place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on 4 June 2025 with support from DPPA and other partners. The Youth Council aims to be a regional platform led by youth from Mongolia, China, Republic of Korea, and Japan to advance collaborative climate action, policy engagement, and environmental awareness across Northeast Asia. It envisions a resilient, youth-led climate network that influences decision-making, strengthens regional cooperation, and amplifies youth voices in climate governance. The launch event was attended by the inaugural members of the Council, DPPA, the UN Resident Coordinator, the Hanns Seidel Foundation, and representatives from the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The launch of the NEAYCC represents a significant step toward institutionalizing youth contributions to regional climate and peacebuilding efforts in Northeast Asia. More than a platform by and for youth, the Council serves a practical engagement tool and a springboard for young people to interact with policymakers, experts and governments in the region. The launch reflects a growing recognition of the need for forward-looking exchanges grounded in trust, shared responsibility and the voices of the next generation. At the launch, the members handed over the Northeast Asian Youth Climate Declaration to the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will host COP17 in 2026. Youth representatives also attended the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security (UBD) to network and encourage intergenerational solidarity.

Harnessing the momentum from the Global Digital Compact adopted in September 2024, youth peacebuilders from Northeast Asia drafted a set of regional recommendations which were presented at the 20th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity in the Republic of Korea on 28-30 May 2025. At the Jeju Forum, youth speakers outlined priorities such as digital inclusion, countering online hate speech and misinformation, advancing responsible AI governance, and using technology as a tool for dialogue and conflict resolution. Part of the “Futuring Peace in Northeast Asia” initiative, the session reaffirmed the critical role of youth leadership in shaping peaceful regional futures. The 13 recommendations shared were not only technical proposals but also inclusive calls to action underscoring that a digital future that must be people-centered and co-created by the communities it aims to serve. The initiative fosters friendly neighborly relations and contributes to long-term peacebuilding by institutionalizing youth engagement as a meaningful part of regional cooperation efforts.

Fact sheet - Building an Equitable Digital Future: Youth Perspectives from Northeast Asia