Honduras: a city that put young people at the heart of peace

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What Honduras did

San Pedro Sula, in northern Honduras, has long faced high levels of youth vulnerability, with young people exposed to violence, inequality and exclusion. Nationally, people aged 12 to 30 number over 3.1 million, yet surveys show low trust in democratic institutions. In July 2025 the city became the first in Latin America to build a local, integrated Youth, Peace and Security plan, the Plan Local Integral de Juventudes Paz y Seguridad. The Municipality led the process with technical support from UNDP Honduras and UNODA, delivered through UNDP's SALIENT project on armed-violence prevention.

Photo by Héctor Emilio Gonzalez on Unsplash 

How it Delivered

Hybrid workshops, culminating in in-person sessions on 22 and 23 July 2025, brought together youth organisations, civil society, academia, the private sector and local authorities. Participants used foresight and participatory tools such as risk and dream mapping, time capsules, problem trees and proposal labs to build a shared vision and a practical roadmap for youth, peace and security. The plan aligns with UN Security Council Resolution 2250, UNDP's Global Youth Strategy and SDG 16, making it a regional first, and has since inspired a wider UNDP guide for formulating local youth, peace and security plans across the region.

What Made it Work?

The process treated young people as agents of change rather than a problem to be managed. Foresight methods gave everyone in the room, from students to officials, a common language for imagining the city they wanted. Running the work at municipal level kept it close to lived experience and gave the community real ownership of the outcome.

Future Generations Takeaway

Rebuilding trust in institutions begins where people live. San Pedro Sula shows that a city can practise anticipatory governance from the ground up, and that inviting young people to design their own future is itself an act of peacebuilding. Keeping the future open means making room at the table for those who will inhabit it longest.

This case study is based on one kindly shared with us by the us by School of International Futures (SOIF) and can be found in their digital implementation handbook: 'One Year in Practice: Stories of Global Action for Future Generations'.  We have updated and expanded some case studies with more recent developments and additional sources where relevant.