6 th UNESCO Youth Forum (1-3 October 2009)
Section for Youth, Sport and Physical Education (Y.S.P.E.)
Division for Social Science Research and Policy
Sector for Social and Human Sciences
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Paris, August 2009

SHS YSPE is the acronym for the Section for Youth, Sport and Physical
Education (YSPE) which is part of the UNESCO Social and Human
Sciences Sector (SHS) . YSPE is the Section responsible for the UNESCO
Youth Programme. It ensures the implementation of the SHS activities on youth and the overall coordination of the other UNESCO Sectors’ interventions in favor of youth.
◊ To introduce you to the approach and the work of
UNESCO YSPE on youth
◊ To present our strategic orientations and examples of current and past activities

YSPE’s work with and for youth: an assets’ based approach
have distinctive needs, concerns and expectations are an indispensable resource for development are partners, not a target group

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Structuring our action until 2013: the development of the UNESCO SHS Strategy on Youth
3 Global Objectives
A participatory process with feedback from:
YOUTH
UN System & Bretton
Woods institutions
Governments, local authorities, municipalities
International & regional
IGOs & NGOs
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Academic institutions, research networks
UNESCO Chairs, clubs, centres
Regional priorities
Private sector, media etc

Addressing UNESCO’s priority for Africa: the finalization of the UNESCO SHS Strategy on African
Youth
Global objectives
(same as Global
Strategy)
Regional Objectives Indicative action
Knowledge building & management
-Ensure the compilation & management of information & knowledge on African youth
-Encourage policy-oriented research on issues affecting African Youth
Policy development
& policy dialogue
Youth participation, civic engagement
& social inclusion
-Assist Member-States in the development of National Policies to address youth issues with the participation of youth
-Promote the ratification & implementation of the African Youth Charter
-Promote an inclusive & democratic representation of youth concerns at continental & national level
-Support youth-led action to promote civic engagement & social inclusion
-2 Reports on the state of African Youth ( African Youth
Charter; MDGs)
-African youth E-observatory & online portal on the
African Youth Charter
-Policy papers & briefs
- Twining of research centers & promotion of academic research & cooperation in the field of youth
-Policy development & review in line with the provisions of the African Youth Charter
- “Policy-dialogue workshops”
-Advocacy initiatives for the ratification & the implementation of the African Youth Charter
-Revitalization of the Panafrican Youth Union
- Establishment or review of democratic, representative & inclusive National Youth Councils
-Fund for young social entrepreneurs
-Establishment of youth information centers managed by youth organizations
A participatory process involving youth, policy-makers, academia, the UN System, the African Union & key regional partners, IGOs and NGOs, private sector active on youth in the region!

Knowledge building & management
Policy development & policy dialogue
Youth participation, civic engagement & social inclusion
-‘Best practices in youth policies & programmes in Latin America & the Caribbean’ (ongoing/pilot, see details below)
- Development of an Online UNESCO Euro-med Youth Observatory (ongoing/pilot, in partnership with the government of Andorra)
- Elaboration of policy briefs on ‘youth development and violence prevention in Central America’
- Establishment of 5 regional UNESCO Youth listservs (spaces for online dialogue and exchange)
-‘Empowering Youth through National Policies –UNESCO’s contribution’: guidelines for the formulation, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of policies with the participation of youth (2004). Update of the guidelines will be conducted under the new Strategy.
- ‘Breaking the Poverty Cycle of Women’ pilot project in Southern Asia (2002-2007): broad-based capacity-building programme and formulation of policy guidelines to ensure equal development opportunities for girls and young women living in poverty.
-Capacity-building programmes for national authorities and youth organizations: training modules highlighting the requirements of and challenges involved in ‘mainstreaming’ the rights and needs of young people as well as good practice examples of youth-adult partnerships (recent example:
Cameroon in cooperation with OIF and the World Bank, 2007)
-The UNESCO Youth Forum (see details below)
- The series of UNESCO Regional Youth Forums (2006-2007) elaborating on the results of the 2005
UNESCO Youth Forum and feeding into the preparations of the 2007 UNESCO Youth Forum
- Youth development and violence prevention project in Central America
- Cooperation with the UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth & Civic Engagement at the University of
Galway, Ireland at research and programme levels.

Example 1
UNESCO’s commitment to promoting youth participation: the UNESCO Youth Forum
UNESCO
Youth Forum
An integral part of the
General Conference UNESCO
General
Conference
UNESCO’s highest decision-making body meets every two years and gathers
193 Member States
UNESCO action with and for youth
Involving young women and men in the development of youthrelated policies

Example 2:
Identifying best practices in youth policies and programmes: a pilot for Latin America and the Caribbean!
Key Components of the Project
 Overall Goal: To develop comprehensive public youth policies, consolidate youth programmes at institutional level and reinforce youth projects and networks
 Main intervention: Identification, dissemination and replication of ‘best practices’ in youth policies and programmes in Latin America and Caribbean
Technical and virtual resources including policy proposals and a regional online platform
 Themes: Integral youth development, Youth participation, Volunteer work, Prevention of youth violence, Education, Employment, Poverty reduction,
Sexual and reproductive health
 Partners: A large and wide-ranging set of national, regional and international bodies from the public, private and civil-society sectors (partners include 8 UNO agencies, IDB, OIJ, OECD, CYP and OAS)
High-level, regional best practices meeting with young specialists, experts and policy makers
Objectives and Results
• Avoid duplication of efforts
• Ensure the implementation of successful initiatives
• Make investment in youth initiatives more costeffective
• Raise-awareness of the importance and utility of working with young people
•Harmonize regional work in the field of youth
•Reinforce inter-sectoral and inter-organizations cooperation
Communication and exchange through networks, website and relevant regional events

Key Components of the project
Social
Sciences promotion and dissemination of knowledge, advocacy and strengthening of linkages with policy-makers
Education activities for the promotion of best practices such as “Open Schools” and training courses for teachers
Culture
Example 3:
Youth development and violence prevention in Central
America creation of identity benchmarks through cultural activities and best practices for the prevention of violence
Second Forum of
Ministers and
High-Ranking
Officials responsible for
Youth in Central
America
(21 -22 August 2009,
San José, Costa Rica)
Communication support of local radios, television and internet, training workshops for journalists and meetings with media actors, with the aim of promoting a balanced perception of youth
National observatories for youth development &violence prevention
Entrepreneurship capacity-building in micro-enterprise management
5 National
Projects
El Salvador; Nicaragua; Honduras; Guatemala;
Dominican Republic

Coordinating UNESCO’s efforts on youth in cooperation with the respective Programme Sectors
Education: equitable access; teacher training; non-formal and lifelong learning; learning and training opportunities for vulnerable youth groups; awareness-raising and learning for youth on sustainability issues; sustainable consumption and attitude change.
Natural Sciences: training, fellowships and scholarships for young scientists; youth participation in science policy and programme design and implementation; UNESCO Man &
Biosphere Young Scientists award; World
Academy of Young Scientists; Network of
Youth Excellence; Youth Visioning for
Island Living
Communication &
Information: youth media; youth information and communication networks and centres; Infoyouth International
Information and Data Exchange
Network on Youth
HIV & AIDS : advocacy for appropriate learning opportunities for youth; youth participation in HIV and AIDS policy and programming; partnerships with youth organizations; ‘Act, learn and teach – Theatre, HIV and AIDS’, toolkit for youth in Africa
Culture: promotion of cultural diversity & expressions; intercultural & interfaith youth exchanges
(cooperation framework with the UN Alliance of
Civilisations); promotion & safeguarding of the World
Heritage & development of creative industries, through education, awareness raising & employment generation programs.