UNDP Youth Strategy: Empowering and Engaging Youth as a Positive Force for Transformational - PowerPoint Presentation

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UNDP Youth Strategy: Empowering and Engaging Youth as a Positive Force for Transformational ChangePresented at the Third Session, Youth at the Forefront of Community Development through Volunteerism

2014 ASEAN-Korea Youth Forum

ASEAN & Korean Young People: Building a Shared Future

03 December 2014

Ms. Anne

Marie Sloth Carlsen

Director UNDP Seoul Policy CentreSlide2

The UNDP Seoul Policy Centre for Global Development PartnershipsOne of six UNDP Global Policy CentresEstablished 2011 to represent UNDP in Korea and to work with Korea in international issues and share experience with other countriesHosted by Korea University Website: www.undp.org/uspcFacebook: www.facebook.com/undpspcSlide3

Why youth for development?More than 1.2 billion youth, aged 15-24: largest generation of young people the world has ever knownMore than 60 percent of the population in many UNDP programme countries are youth Their opportunities for communicating, acting and influencing are unprecedented. Also, the challenges they face are unprecedented, from climate change to unemployment to multiple forms of inequalities and exclusion, in particular for youth belonging to v

ulnerable or marginalized

groups

.

Institutional

public space is scarce for young men and women; if war was a tragedy for all, peace is difficult for them and jobs are hard to get and tough to keep.Youth participation is crucial to achieving sustainable human development Slide4

Young people as agents of positive change in society.They can call for institutions to national or global concerns.They can provide the energy, creative ideas and determination to drive reform. They can increasingly develop their own solutions to global challenges. “Youth are often the first to stand against injustice…Young people are a force for

transformation

.”

-

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Photo: Malala Yousafzai

,

born in 1997, is a Pakistani

activist for female education and the youngest winner of Nobel Peace Prize in

history. She

is known

for human rights advocacy for education and for women in

northwest Pakistan, where the local 

Taliban had

at times 

banned girls from attending school. She was shot for her activism by a gunman, but survived the assassination attempt.

Yousafzai's

advocacy has since grown into an international movement.Slide5

Youth and the Post-2015 Development AgendaThe youth have made their voices heard about the future they want, during the post-2015 UN consultations, aimed at identifying the new agenda for development. Unprecedented open process through which inputs have been sought on the design of the post-2015 agenda 63% of the 5.2 million MY World votes come from the 16-30 age categoryAnother 14% from are under the age of 14Young people have demanded education, jobs, honest and responsive governments, and greater and meaningful participation in decision-making.Their voices matter because key development challenges today (such as economic injustice, climate change,

environment degradation) are

intergenerational

issues for which the young generation today will become the

future custodians Young people need to become part of the implementation mechanisms and accountability fabric around the new development agenda.Slide6

UNDP Youth Strategy (2014-2017)UNDP’s first-ever corporate Youth Strategy, “Empowered Youth, Sustainable Future”, is about resilience, sustainable and human development, and effective and democratic governance. It calls on the young generations to become even more committed agents of change in development processes.Together with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, UNDP is also increasing its engagement with young women and men, their organizations, and other stakeholders that matter.Uses a flexible definition of ‘youth’  While the focus is on young women and men aged 15−24, the range may extend

to 30

and even up to 35 depending on

national context

, and will remain flexible to

ensure that programming related to the implementation of the strategy is responsive to the diverse needs of youth in different country contexts.

In order to have the youth at the forefront of community developing through volunteerism, the topic of this session, we need to empower and engage these young people to expand their capabilities and opportunities in ways that are sustainable from the economic, social and environmental standpoints

 ways and means to achieve UNDP’s Vision for “Sustainable Human Development” as in the UNDP Strategic Plan (2014-2017)Slide7

“UNDP supports policy and programming aiming toensure that youth are informed, engaged and empoweredto contribute to sustainable human development andresilience of their communities. The combination of youthand innovation has the potential to create solutions todevelopment challenges and to transform societies.”Helen Clark, Administrator, UNDP

Helen

Clark visits

Vientiane Youth

Center in Lao PDRSlide8

UNDP Youth Strategy: Main Expected OutcomesYouth are economically empoweredDecent work and livelihood creation are chief determinants in the socio-economic empowerment of youth; they also contribute to sustainable human development overall.Success means increasing the quantity of jobs for young people. It also requires enhancing the quality of jobs by improving their productivity, facilitating movements of young people to more productive sectors, and increasing access to social protection. Access to

finance and

markets is one area for action—with

skill building

for

young entrepreneurs, in particular young women, support for social enterprises, and public-private employment opportunities.

Non-formal education will build skills for employability, internships and apprenticeships

, and

better access to job market

data and

job

centres

.

F

ostering

a policy environment conducive

to job

creation for young people.Slide9

UNDP Youth Strategy: Main Expected Outcomes2. Youth are engaged in public life and participate in political processes and institutionsWhen young men and women understand their rights, they can become empowered to engage in civil society, public service and political processes, at all levels. They need to know the channels through which they may exercise their civil and political rights and contribute to decision-making processes that impact their lives. Channels

for

engagement include

formal political processes

such as

youth advisory boards at local level, youth parliaments or shadow councils at national level, and engagement with United Nations processes at the global level, for example.

Other entry points include volunteerism

, access

to civil service positions and

decision-making

processes in the public administration

, initiatives

for transparency

and accountability

, promotion of human rights

, legal

reform, support for youth organizations

, policy

review and use of media,

including social

media, to increase access to

information and

collect and report on relevant data.Slide10

UNDP Youth Strategy: Main Expected Outcomes3. Youth are agents for community resilience Youth can be positive agents of change in their communities in time of conflict and disaster. Early action to stabilize their livelihoods builds resilience and supports social cohesion; it also provides alternatives as conflict prevention for at-risk youth.Strategic entry points focus on mobilizing and empowering youth as positive agents of change in their communities, including emergency employment and entrepreneurship and recovery of critical livelihoods assets

such as skills development and access

to finance

.

Youth

also can be mobilized in disaster preparedness, education and post-disaster efforts—e.g. managing natural resources, mobilizing

communities via new technologies, acquiring peace-building skills, or supporting efforts

to reduce gender-based violence.Slide11

Contribution of Youth to Development through VolunteerismVolunteerism:Provides opportunities for young people to become active leaders and citizens in their diversityFosters their inclusion in global peace and sustainable human development processes.Youth bring direct benefits to their communities

by

I

dentifying

problems

Finding solutionsBringing valuable insights and inspiration from the youth perspective often providing new technological skills

Photo: UNV

Youth Volunteer Giulia

Giannuzzi

took part in the “Orange the

Journey

Campaign to End Violence against Women and Girls” in 2013. Slide12

UNDP Project, “Making Timor-Leste Beautiful” Approximately 60 % of the country’s 1.2 million people are under the age of 25.The UNDP youth initiative supported by Korea raises awareness about environmental issues and creates job opportunities for young people at the same timeSince December 2013, the launch of the project, more than 3 million plastic bottles were collected for recycling.

Photo: Timorese students clean up the streets of Dill, the capital city.

Example of UNDP Engagement with Youth Volunteerism Slide13

Thank you