With some 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10 and 24 around the globe, young people have a “key role” to play in forging lasting peace agreements, according to UN Youth Envoy, Jayathma Wickramanayake.

They’re important to maintaining peace and security in communities, and to “building social cohesion”, she explained in an interview with UN News.

With half the world under the age of 30, young people must be an integral part of the UN peace and security agenda too she says, adding that “you cannot build peace without engaging half the world’s population”.

She began by explaining to Liz Scaffidi how the youth, peace and security agenda has evolved.