Alongside his leadership in Afghanistan, Yahya Qanie has served as a prominent global voice for advancing the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agenda. Drawing from his field experience in conflict zones, he has helped bridge youth realities with global policy processes—shaping policy conversations at the United Nations, European Union, U.S. government, and international NGOs.

He served as a member of the Steering Group for the 5-Year Global Strategy on Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes, working alongside 36 other members from mediation support units, youth leaders, and representatives of the African Union, European External Action Service (EEAS), United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY), Search for Common Ground (SFCG), InterPeace, UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA-PBSO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), and UN Women. The group co-authored the landmark “We Are in This Together” framework—now used by governments and international bodies as a foundation for youth-inclusive peacebuilding policy.

Mr. Qanie has also advocated for the digital, physical, legal, and financial security of young peacebuilders; contributed to the Global Ceasefire Campaign; supported the launch of the YPS Fund Initiative to secure flexible funding for youth-led organizations in fragile states; and represented Afghanistan at the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace, and Security—a platform of UN agencies, international organizations, donors, and practitioners advancing the YPS agenda.

In December 2020, Yahya was invited to speak at the United Nations High-Level Event marking the 5th Anniversary of UNSCR 2250, joining a panel with senior UN officials and diplomats to share policy lessons from Afghanistan. In January 2022, he delivered remarks at the opening ceremony of the Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes in Doha, alongside the UN Secretary-General, the Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, and the First Lady of Colombia. He has also delivered a briefing to members of the U.S. Congress on the passage of the first-ever YPS Act (H.R. 6174).

Across all these global engagements, Yahya has carried a consistent message: youth are not passive recipients of peace—they are its architects. Through op-eds, lectures, and public diplomacy, he has consistently challenged tokenism in youth policy and advocated for systemic mechanisms that empower young people as strategic actors in peacebuilding and governance. His advocacy is anchored in a generational truth: peace is not sustainable unless the generation that will inherit it is empowered to shape it from the start.