Finland, South Africa to mentor young peace mediators

Finland and South Africa will jointly implement a mentoring programme for young peace mediators, said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a press release on Tuesday.

The programme was announced by the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Director-General Zane Dangor of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation at the National Dialogues Conference in Helsinki on Tuesday.

Fifteen young people will be selected for the programme, including one from Finland and one from South Africa.

An important criterion in selecting the other participants is a broad geographical representation. Following the UN Security Council Resolution on Youth, Peace and Security the programme covers 18-29-year-olds.

The young participants of the programme will be trained in peace mediation training and receive opportunities for international networking.

The trainings will be held in Pretoria, Helsinki and the headquarters of international organisations.

“To achieve sustainable peace we must include young people in peace processes. Finland is committed to supporting young people’s meaningful participation in questions of peace and security. Young people have many unique skills and inspiring energy that we need in these challenging times. I am very proud to announce this excellent initiative,” said Valtonen.

The mentoring programme for young mediators is part of the implementation of the Letter of Intent on cooperation in mediation between Finland and South Africa.

The Letter of Intent was signed during President Sauli Niinistö’s state visit to South Africa in April 2023.