Youth Employment Youth Employment Opportunities through Opportunities through

the MDGs : a West the MDGs : a West African perspectiveAfrican perspective

By Mouhamed A. Latif MbengueBy Mouhamed A. Latif Mbengue

Former UN Millennium Campaign Former UN Millennium Campaign Regional Youth Editor for Regional Youth Editor for

TakingITGlobalTakingITGlobal

Deputy Coordinator, YES SENEGALDeputy Coordinator, YES SENEGAL

Program Coordinator, Synapse CenterProgram Coordinator, Synapse Center

PLACE OF YOUTH IN THE MILLENNIUM PLACE OF YOUTH IN THE MILLENNIUM DECLARATIONDECLARATION

At first sight one may say that there is no

specific focus on youth in the Millennium

Declaration. The word Youth is mentioned

only once and it is in the last part( goal 8

dedicated to Global Partnership for

development. And even there Youth are

perceived as simple beneficiaries not

actors.

YOUTH : SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS YOUTH : SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS MAKING THE MDGs A REALTYMAKING THE MDGs A REALTY

The point of this paper is to demonstrate that Youth can be more than simple beneficiaries of the MDGs, they can act to help their communities reach the MDGs while creating jobs opportunities for themselves and their peers. To illustrate this point we will take the example of the west African context and the work of the MDG West Africa Youth Caucus.

YOUTH AND THE MDGYOUTH AND THE MDGKEY DATESKEY DATES

• December 2004 Partnership between the Millennium Campaign and Key international Youth organizations including: TakingITGlobal, GYAN and the World organisation of Scouts.

• June 2004: First Panafrican Youth leadership Summit, organized by the UNDP in Dakar Senegal

• February 2005: Hiring of a Regional Youth Editor whose role is to raise awareness of Youth on the Millennium Development Goals.

WHY YOUTH PARTICIPATION?WHY YOUTH PARTICIPATION?• Demographic weight of youth (60% of the

population in many West African Country. In my country Senegal youth represent more than 58 % of the population

• Dynamism of youth within the civil society (Growing number of youth organizations,

national and regional networks. e. g. The West African Youth Network, YES

Country Networks

• High pourcentage of funds allocated to development are returned because of adequate management ressources.

• Youth’s natural creativity and openess to change

WHICH YOUTH PARTICIPATION?WHICH YOUTH PARTICIPATION? Threefold: Active – Informed – Sustained• Active # folkloric participation: youth should refuse

to be used as mere campaigning instruments• Informed : Youth should be well Informed about the

Goals and the background history behind them• Sustained and commited: change always takes time.

HOW YOUTH CAN PARTICIPATE?HOW YOUTH CAN PARTICIPATE?

• Lobbying(for their governement to keep the promise made in the Millennium Declaration

• Project implementation• Showcase what they have done

in order to secure more support.

• Share creative approaches to poverty alleviation

• Institutionalize their action to win the confidence of foreign and local donors

YOUTH ALREADY IN THE FIELDYOUTH ALREADY IN THE FIELD

- Iearn, Sierra Leone( Youth Education- Goal 2

- The West African Youth Network in the Mano River Union area

• From Goal 1 to Goal 7 youth are already active in making the MDGs a reality, even though they do not always conceptually relate to the MDG

- Save the Children’s partnership with Synergie Banlieue, Senegal (HIV AIDS)

- YES County Networks

MDG REGIONAL YOUTH CAUCUSMDG REGIONAL YOUTH CAUCUS

Spaces for:1. information

2. inspiration

3. involvement

4. Collaboration

5. Sharing best practices and systems

MEMBERSHIP AND A FEW MEMBERSHIP AND A FEW ACHIEVEMENTSACHIEVEMENTS

• MDG West Africa Open Forum, in partnership with local NGOs like ANCEFA and FORUT Senegal

• Education For All workshop, in partnership with UNESCO

• MDG Youth Memorandum ( lobbying instrument)

• Participation in MDG Youth Mapping Project ( research )

• Contribution to the Global MDG Youth Portal and to the Millennium Campaign Website.

NEXT PRIORITIESNEXT PRIORITIES

• Keep-up the momentum• Link-up with other youth groups such

as the West African Youth Network WAYN,in Freetown Sierra Leone

• The YES Country Network in Senegal

• Partnership with large international MDG action groups such as GCAP and the UN Millennium Campaign in order to provide support to youth in their effort to reach the MDG in West Africa

INFORMATIVE RESOURCESINFORMATIVE RESOURCES

www.millenniumcampaign.org

www.un.org/ youth

www.mdgyouthpaper.org

http://mdg.takingitglobal.org

Raising Their Voices a new TakingITGlobal publication on youth working on the Millennium Development Goals worldwide

Other sources : UNOWA study on Youth Employment and

Insecurity in West Africa, www.unowa.org

THANK YOU