Southern Africa, a relatively peaceful region, is also a youthful region, with 35% of the youth population between the ages 15 and 35 years and accounting for 75% of the population, including children. This demographic landscape is paradoxical given the continuous marginalisation of youth to meaningfully participate in political, peace and security structures, with most countries across the region only accounting for 10%–30% of youth representation in national parliament when extending the member of parliament age to 40, while the percentage drops to less than 7% when the age is under 30.
