THE CASE FOR INVESTING IN YOUNG PEOPLE As part of a National Poverty Reduction Strategy

Young People Today

Nearly 1/3rd of the world’s population is young (ages 10-24), and almost 90% of them live in developing countries

550 million young people live on under $2 a day

14 million girls aged 15-19 give birth each year

More than 2,000 youth become infected with HIV each day

Why Invest in Young People?1. Governments have made commitments to

improve the lives of young people at both the international and regional levels

2. Young people’s large share of the population in all developing and transition countries justifies providing them with their fair share of resources

3. Young people are central to achieving the Millennium Development Goals because they are at great vulnerability to poverty, especially girls and young women

4. There are macro-economic benefits for investing in the health and education of children and adolescents, as well as micro-economic returns from investing in certain youth programmes which could have a promising impact

Why Invest in Young People?5. There are compounding effects of the hurdles that

young people, especially girls, often encounter in their transition from dependence to independence, which require special attention

6. In the long-term, realizing the demographic dividend depends on investing in employment opportunities public health, gender equality and education for young people

7. Young people are both disproportionately responsible for violent crime and more likely to be its victims. Investing in young people can improve national security by lowering criminal activity and the likelihood of civil strife

The Need for Involvement

In order to address the growing concerns of the young population, they need to be a priority within the process of formation and implementation of public policy

One way to do this is to make young people a part of the national poverty reduction strategy

These strategies are outlined in national Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS)

What are PRS?

• PRS are a country-led, country-written document, with input from partners and other participatory groups.

• Provide the basis for assistance from the World Bank and the IMF, as well as debt relief under the HIPC-initiative

• Describe a country's macroeconomic, structural, and social policies and programs to promote growth

• Summarize the country's objectives, policies, and measures for reducing poverty and ideally achieving the MDGs

• Comprehensive in recognizing the multidimensional nature of poverty

The Usual Content of a PRS

Participatory process Poverty profile / situational analysis Priorities and strategies Cost and financing strategy Implementation plan Monitoring and evaluation

How is youth currently addressed in these processes?

The Case for Investing in Young People (2010, UNFPA) conducted an independent assessment of:

1. The proportion of PRS that mention youth as a group consulted in the process

2. The extent to which youth are identified as a group in poverty in PRS

3. The proportion of PRS with a special focus on Youth in their action plan

4. The proportion of PRS with a special focus on Youth in their budget

5. The proportion of PRS that mention specific issues in relation to youth poverty and well-being

Involving Youth in the PRS Process

Yes No Total

Number 22 44 66

Percent 33.3 66.7 100.0

Table 1- Number and Proportion of PRS that mention youth as a group consulted in the process (UNFPA, 2010)

• Nearly 2/3rd of the PRS in 2010 were developed without the input of youth

• Some countries may have consulted various social groups but it is difficult to determine whether these social groups incorporated young people’s concerns into the discussion

Identifying Youth as a Group in Poverty

Major Focus

Minor Focus

One of Several Groups

No Mention

Total

Number 16 13 17 20 66

Percent 24.2 19.7 25.8 30.3 100.0

Table 2- The extent to which youth are identified as a group in poverty in PRS, number and percent of total (UNFPA, 2010)

• Only 43.9% of the PRS accorded youth a focus as a group experiencing poverty be it a major or minor focus, 30.3% did not mention youth at all

• The sheer numbers and proportion of young people as part of the population necessitate youth-focused poverty interventions

Identifying Youth in Action Plans

Major focus in a key goal

Minor focus in a key goal

No mention at all

Total

Number 19 27 20 66

Percent 28.8 40.9 30.3 100.0

Table 3- The proportion of PRS with a special focus on Youth in their action plan, number and percent (UNFPA, 2010)

While only under a third of PRS give specific attention to youth in their action plan, a full 30% of PRS do not mention youth at all (Table 3)

This is problematic since the content of the action plan guides implementation efforts and is linked to indicators targets budget allocations and other monitoring and evaluation mechanisms

Identifying Youth in Budgets

Includes youth budgetary allocation

Does not include youth

budgetary allocation

Total

Number 21 45 66

Percent 31.8 68.2 100.0

Table 4- The proportion of PRS with a special focus on Youth in their budget, number and percent (UNFPA, 2010)

Close to 70% of PRS do not include specific budget allocations for youth-related priorities (Table 4)

Countries need to understand which actions will give them the greatest poverty payoff in their particular circumstances at the micro-level

This will allow for a bottom-up approach to resource allocation in order to better account for populations in need of services and the coverage of related interventions

Emphasis on Issues Related to Youth

Education

Employment

S & R Healt

h

HIV/AIDS

Gender/ Needs of

girls

Human Rights

Cross- Cutting

Number

60 62 32 45 25 26 11

Percent 90.9 94.0 48.5 68.2 37.9 39.4 16.7

Table 5- Number and proportion of PRS that mention specific issues in relation to youth poverty and well-being (UNFPA, 2010)

Emphasis on Issues Related to Youth

• While the majority of PRS recognize youth in relation to education and employment, only around 40% offer a comprehensive coverage of young people’s gender issues and fulfillment of basic human rights

• Less than 17% cover youth issues in a cross-cutting manner

• While 68% of PRS have HIV/AIDS initiatives targeted at young people, less than 50% have comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) strategies in place for youth

• Gender may be priorities in most PRS but only 25% relate it to the situation of girls and young women

Conclusions

The Case for Investing in Young People shows the urgent need for: Strengthening collaboration to ensure the next

round of PRS incorporate issues of young people Research to identify the factors that led to

successful incorporation of young people’s issues in the 16 PRS that have major focus

Strengthening capacities of national institutions and young people to incorporate young people’s issues in PRS and national development plans