UAE, Aug. 12 -- What becomes of a child born in a conflict zone? A girl with no access to books or safe schools? A boy who spends his teenage years in a refugee camp rather than a classroom? What world are they growing up to inherit - and more importantly, what chances are we giving them to shape it?

Across borders and belief systems, there is a shared understanding: today's youth are tomorrow's decision-makers, innovators, and peacebuilders. But while this truth is widely echoed, it is far from universally realised. Millions of young people continue to be excluded from the opportunities that allow them to fulfil their potential - not due to a lack of ambition, but because of war, displacement, poverty, and systemic inequality.

Young p...