30 December, 2023
Kathmandu
The stakeholders have expressed commitment, solidarity, and interest in the acceleration of the YFLG campaign as a basis for ensuring youth rights in the discussion of the Youth Friendly Local Governance (YFLG) campaign held today at Kathmandu.
The review, reflection, and closing of the second phase of the YFLG program was conducted today with the presence of 52 representatives encompassing various sectors such as youth clubs, LGBTIQ advocates, adolescent networks, GEDSI experts, environmental activists, development partners, feminists, Civil Society Organizations, and media personnel. The event served as a platform for robust discussions on the feasibility, challenges, and way forward of the YFLG campaign.
Jcycn jointly with The Government of Nepal National Youth Council, and UNDP Nepal has been implementing the Youth Friendly Local Governance (YFLG) program since last year. The program was initiated as a pilot intervention in the selected 7 Local Governments, one from each of the seven provinces, and expanded to additional 7 Local Governments in 2023. The meeting was conducted to review, reflect, and reboot the YFLG campaign.
The meeting was chaired by Mr. Dinesh Ghimire, Administrative Chief of the National Youth Council (NYC), and was hosted by Mr. Tilottam Paudel, President of Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal (Jcycn) and Executive member of NYC.
Mr. Bishnu Khatri, Training Coordinator of YFLG, underscored the campaign’s initiation momentum, stressing the imperative need for deeper engagement from stakeholders, mobilization of YFLG trainers, documentation of initiatives, and institutionalized participation of youth as key strategies for the campaign’s success.
A comprehensive overview of the YFLG campaign, including its history, progress, and future trajectory, was presented by Ms. Sumikshya Khadka, Team Leader of the YFLG program at Jcycn.
Ms. Chanda Thapa highlighted the widespread acceptance of YFLG among major stakeholders following extensive sensitization efforts, urging for an accelerated momentum in its implementation.
During the open discussion, prominent voices including Ashok Khanal, coordinator of National CFLG Forum, Raj Ghimire from CZOP, Roshan Pariyar, Krishala Sharma, Saurab Khanal, Chetana Pyakurel, and Sunita Shrestha advocated for the integration of marginalized youths into leadership roles, implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 and emphasized the promotion of youth engagement in various sectors of interest like agriculture and technology for the establishment of YFLG campaign similar to CFLG.
Mr. Dinesh Ghimire said that NYC has been prioritizing the YFLG campaign by offering conditional grants to one Government in each of all 77 districts, and all 7 provinces, and initiating specialized programs like “One School: One Entrepreneur.” He expressed eagerness to further collaborate with Civil Society Organizations and development partners to scale up the YFLG intervention.
Furthermore, Narayan Krishna Shrestha, Deputy Chief of the Party at Plan International, and Binod Shahi member of the National Youth Council highlighted the pressing challenges faced by youths, including brain drain, unemployment, and drug abuse. They stressed the importance of addressing these issues by increasing investment in youths and implementing the YFLG agenda as a sustainable campaign.
Suran Maharjan, Country Coordinator of UNV Nepal provided information on the youth opportunities created by UNV and encouraged the youths to make the best out of such opportunities.
Ms. Sabnam Sunar, a Peer Educator within the Girls’ Empowerment Project of Jcycn highlighted the significance of employing effective strategies, creating entrepreneurial avenues, and ensuring accessible resources to encourage youth engagement, investment, and overall development in the country.
As per the Nepal Census, 2021, the population of youth (between the age group of 16-40) is 42.56%, which is an increase by 2.21%. This demographic shift marks a significant moment in Nepal’s history, presenting a ‘population dividend’ or ‘youth bulge’—a scenario where the youth form the most substantial portion of the country’s populace. This sets the stage for a distinctive prospect in Nepal—an opening for young individuals to pursue education, establish sustainable livelihoods, and actively contribute to the nation’s progress. Thus, the importance of the YFLG campaign has heightened in this context.
