Poems for Peace
Young people living in conflict use poetry to express their hopes for a more peaceful future.
Around the world, millions of children are growing up in conflict. Caught in the crossfires of war, these children are uniquely vulnerable. They are often uprooted from home or exposed to extreme trauma. It is much harder for them to access healthcare or education. And too often, warring parties flout one of the most basic rules of war: the protection of children.
So, what does a better future look like to a young person who has lived every day amidst violence, uncertainty and displacement? What does peace mean for a child who has grown up experiencing little, if any? With its Poems for Peace project, UNICEF gives children a chance to explain in their own words.
COVID-19 is making this worse. School closures have heightened the risk of recruitment by armed groups. Border closures and interrupted global supply chains have intensified existing access restrictions. And a distracted world risks turning a blind eye to attacks on children.
By amplifying the voices of children living in conflict in almost a dozen countries, UNICEF is highlighting the extraordinary strength and courage of some of the tens of millions of young people longing for a more stable future.
