World YMCA was honoured to convene global partners during Geneva Peace Week in October, bringing together the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), JA Worldwide, Million Peacemakers, and the Family Enterprise Foundation to explore how to empower young people to become peacemakers in their communities. Hosted at IFRC headquarters in Geneva, the meeting united organisations that collectively reach tens of millions of youth worldwide, with a shared vision to make peacebuilding a practical life skill for the next generation.
The discussion marked the beginning of Generation Peace, a new global alliance to equip 250 million young people — approximately 3.5 % of humanity — with the mindset and skills to turn conflict into collaboration by 2035.
The number is intentional: research shows that when about 3.5 % of a population adopts a constructive approach to change, it creates an unstoppable tipping point that shifts culture across entire societies. Generation Peace will focus on reaching that critical mass of young leaders — through schools, youth organisations, and communities — who can influence millions more.
Partners explored how to connect their complementary strengths, from YMCA’s network of community spaces, to IFRC’s work in resilience and humanitarian values, to JA’s entrepreneurship and economic opportunity programs, to Million Peacemakers’ Nonflict methodology and Nonflict AI, into a unified framework for peace.
- “Young people are not the problem, they are the solution,” said Carlos Sanvee, World YMCA Secretary General.
- “Peace begins with resilience — when communities, families, and youth stand together for humanity,” said Xavier Castellanos, IFRC Under Secretary General.
- “There is no peace without prosperity, and no prosperity without dignity,” noted Asheesh Advani, CEO of JA Worldwide.
- “When we equip young people with tools for empathy and communication, we create ripples of peace that move through families, schools, and entire communities,” said Jon Moyal, Executive Director of Million Peacemakers.
- “Young people are redefining leadership — by moving from giving back to giving forward to society, they can turn economic power into a force for peace,” said Olivier de Richoufftz, Secretary General of the Family Enterprise Foundation.
Generation Peace will advance through a series of shared milestones, including youth engagement at the YMCA World Council in Toronto (2026) and the IFRC Geneva Summit in 2028, when nations will reaffirm youth leadership in peacebuilding. Rather than defining a single “Year of Peace,” partners committed to a decade-long movement culminating in 2035, the moment when 250 million young peacemakers stand as a generational tipping point toward lasting peace.
“If we invest in young people’s capacity for peace today, we can change the course of tomorrow,” said Carlos.