Approximately 165 million young people live in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), representing nearly a quarter of the region’s population. This demographic holds immense potential for innovation and transformative change. Yet, many face significant challenges that shape both their daily lives and future prospects, with violence standing out as one of the most pressing.

Although LAC accounts for just 8.3% of the global population, it records nearly one-third of all homicides worldwide. Adolescents and young people are particularly affected, facing rates up to four times higher than the global average. Young women encounter additional risks, including sexual violence, femicide, and exclusion from political and decision-making spaces. The Regional Human Development Report: Under Pressure further shows how fear and insecurity are affecting young people’s mental health, contributing to rising levels of anxiety and depression.

Strengthening public safety therefore requires placing youth at the center—not as victims or perpetrators, but as agents of resilience, leadership, and peace. Their meaningful participation is essential to transforming cycles of violence and exclusion into opportunities for social cohesion, democratic innovation, and sustainable peace.

The Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) Agenda represents a turning point by recognizing young people as key actors in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Organized around five interconnected pillars—participation, protection, prevention, partnerships, and disengagement and reintegration—it offers a comprehensive framework for action. In the LAC context, advancing this agenda is particularly strategic. Engaging youth in the design and implementation of public safety policies not only improves outcomes but also strengthens governance, rebuilds trust in institutions, and fosters more inclusive societies.

Inspiration from the Field: Transformative Experiences in LAC

The Guide “Safe Territories: Local Youth, Peace, and Security Plans”, developed by UNDP for Latin America and the Caribbean, brings together a decade of experience in promoting violence prevention initiatives that place youth at the center. It outlines key steps to support municipalities in developing local public safety policies that position young people as drivers of territorial transformation.

Across the region, the application of the YPS approach is already yielding tangible results. In Honduras, San Pedro Sula has set a regional precedent by becoming the first city in Latin America to institutionalize a Local Youth, Peace, and Security Plan. Through a participatory process involving more than 30 youth organizations, alongside civil society, academia, and the private sector, stakeholders developed concrete proposals addressing employment, education, mental health, community cohesion, and gender equality. Creative methodologies, including risk and dream mapping, time capsules, and proposal labs, helped build a shared understanding of security challenges and led to the symbolic establishment of the municipality’s first Youth Peace Council.

In Brazil, UNDP has supported pioneering initiatives that demonstrate how youth participation can drive violence prevention. In the Federal District, participatory public safety planning has strengthened collaboration among young people, government institutions, civil society, and the private sector, generating more legitimate and sustainable strategies. This experience also led to the development of the “¡Mantente Seguro!” (¡Fica Seguro!) methodology, an interactive tool designed to raise awareness and build capacity around territorial approaches to violence prevention.

In Colombia, the YPS agenda has evolved into a platform for social innovation that places young people at the forefront of peacebuilding. Through initiatives such as “Youth Peace Brokers” in Cauca and Meta, diverse groups of youth—including indigenous, Afro-descendant, rural, and urban communities—have developed agendas that strengthen the social fabric and promote inclusive peace. These efforts have combined training, intergenerational dialogue, and policy engagement to amplify new narratives that challenge stigma and exclusion.

From the Caribbean, Belize offers an example focused on reintegration and inclusion. A national program provides alternatives to incarceration for young people aged 12 to 17 in conflict with the law. At “The HUB” Community Resource Center, participants receive comprehensive support, including legal assistance, counseling, life skills training, and extracurricular activities, all designed to facilitate their reintegration into society.

Envisioning the Future to Build Peace

Building safer communities requires more than responding to immediate challenges; it calls for the ability to anticipate and shape future scenarios. Foresight tools make it possible to identify emerging risks, foster dialogue, and design innovative solutions to reduce violence.

The Democratizing Futures guide offers practical approaches for embedding anticipatory governance within public institutions. By bringing together young people and decision-makers, it supports the co-creation of forward-looking policies. These methodologies complement local YPS planning processes by linking present challenges with shared visions of the future, strengthening both relevance and impact.

Youth at the Center: Innovation and Shared Responsibility

The development of local Youth, Peace, and Security plans represents a critical opportunity to transform communities. Achieving this requires adapting approaches to local contexts, ensuring sustained investment, strengthening youth leadership, and fostering strategic partnerships.

The participatory processes that underpin these efforts help rebuild trust, encourage innovation, and generate new approaches to public safety. Ultimately, lasting peace cannot be achieved without the active engagement of young people. Advancing safer and more just societies demands collective responsibility, resilience, and a shared vision for the future.

Now is the time to move from consultation to action and from fragmented efforts to coordinated, multi-stakeholder collaboration—where young people lead the way in shaping a more inclusive and peaceful region.