In the aftermath of the recent great earthquake in Nepal, youths played a significant role during immediate rescue, relief, rehabilitation and recovery process. Many of them stood by the quake- affected people during the crisis while being victims themselves. They partnered with several agencies including the government in rescue operation and relief support initiatives. Government authorities and concerned stakeholders have also applauded and acknowledged their significant contribution during the hour of need. It is a great opportunity for the authority and stakeholders to maintain the same level of energy in youths.Like in recent disaster, Nepali youths have always shown caliber and potential to become change agents. They have already rendered momentous contribution to every political change including establishment of democracy and other social movements. Yet, meaningful participation of youths in politics, society and economics has not been recognized by the government and various stakeholders and they are still waiting for opportunities.
On the International Youth Day, Nepal government and stakeholders should recognize youth's participation in various aspects of development in building the nation and institutionalizing historic changes in the country. The theme of the day this year is "Youth Civic Engagement", which is timely and relevant to Nepali context. The theme highlights that the engagement and participation of youth is essential to achieve sustainable human development. This year's theme should be brought into effect in the country by engaging youths politically, economically and socially.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commemorated the day by saying, "In this landmark year, as leaders prepare to adopt a bold new vision for sustainable development, the engagement of youth is more valuable than ever. At this critical moment in history, I call on young people to demand and foster the dramatic progress so urgently needed in our world."
The day does not have a long history. For the first time the day was observed in 1999. On December 17, 1999, in its resolution 54/120, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth that August 12 be declared International Youth Day. This articulates that the world has recently started recognizing voices, participation and contribution of youths.
With the start of the observance of this day every year since 1999, attention, policy and programming on youth civic engagement has recently increased. The governments and global, regional and local organizations have started their initiatives on engaging, educating and empowering youths. As part of its celebrations for International Youth Day, the Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development, led by the United Nations Development Program, is running an online campaign in the lead up to the International Youth Day.
Following the declaration of the day, Nepal has also realized the importance of youths in nation building. As a result, the country has also made significant strides for the promotion of youths.
First, Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) was established in 2009 which can be considered as the milestone for youths in the country. Earlier, the ministry was merged with the current Ministry of Education. Yet another significant achievement was formation and announcement of the National Youth Policy, 2010 and youth strategy and implementation plan. The policy has been developed as per the mandate of the Interim Constitution of Nepal. The country needed to pursue a special policy to mobilize young human resources for the development of the country.
The policy defines youth as "women, men and third gender" persons aged 16-40 years old. With the introduction of youth policy, the country has finally gained a clear roadmap and vision for youths. The policy clearly states that youths are assets of the nation and they can play a crucial role not only in bringing social, economic and political change but also equally institutionalizing those changes. The MoYS is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the national youth policy. However, the ministry's works and visibility is yet to be seen among youths. Interestingly, the survey carried out by British Council Nepal in 2011 had revealed that a larger section of youth population surveyed was not aware of the MoYS, and hence formation of district level offices was recommended to sort out the problem.
The total youth population in Nepal is 10,689,842 (40.3 percent of the total population), as per the 2011 Census. Among them, 45.8 percent are males and 54.5 percent are females. Despite the fact realized by the government that youths are change agents for sustainable peace and development, their condition is deteriorating as found by the British Council Nepal's youth survey 2011.
The survey findings paint a bleak situation of youths on employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. The development fields or I/NGOs employ more than half of the employed youths. Most of youths entering job markets are students while others employed do not formally enter. Majority of them are unemployed. Those youths who want to start their own enterprises lack required entrepreneurial skills. According to the government, more than 400,000 youths enter the job market every year and among which around 1,500 leave the country for foreign employment every day. However, a majority of the youths going abroad for employment are unskilled.
Besides, youths are also at risk of unwanted pregnancies, early marriage, prostitution, drug abuse, crime and AIDS. It is high time for the authorities to help youths overcome these problems through creation of employment opportunities, promotion of entrepreneurship and mobilization of youths in development sectors. For this, collective efforts and joint partnership with various stakeholders are a must in the areas of youth awareness, empowerment, employment and entrepreneurship. Then only, the country will become prosperous.
The author is associated with Republica
praveenkumaryadava@gmail.com
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