Colombo, 16 June 2017: The UN Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace, and Security identifies five key pillars for action: youth participation, protection, prevention, partnerships and disengagement and reintegration. This landmark resolution urges Member States to give youth a greater voice in decision-making at the local, national, regional and international levels and to consider setting up mechanisms that would enable young people to participate meaningfully in peace processes.

With current technological advancements, new media is becoming more accessible to youth. These advancements have led to the rise of community-driven journalism, a form of alternative media, that is more relevant and consequential to people and communities.

The Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum (SDJF) and the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) in Sri Lanka have joined hands to facilitate the collaborative potential of creating a space for youth to voice their ideas through alternative media.

Through the partnership, SDJF and UNFPA will launch an online platform that promotes community-driven journalism with a focus on women, youth, elderly, and other social issues. The platform will also enable young people to become a central part of community-driven solutions in Sri Lanka.

The trilingual online platform www.iVoice.lk will be available to the public in July 2017.

UNPFA strives to ensure that every young person achieves their fullest potential. SDJF is a media accredited organization that advocates the role of media in democratization by strengthening community media and working closely with young people and women. Through the SDJF-UNPFA partnership, both organizations hope to facilitate more engagement with youth and communities of Sri Lanka to increase the use of development journalism and youth participation in addressing social issues.