UfM Youth Focal Points Network
22 May 2024, online. Over recent years, the Union for the Mediterranean has worked towards establishing a Youth dossier aimed at actively engaging young people as drivers for positive transformation. The endorsement of the UfM Youth Strategy 2030 by Member States in 2022 marked a significant commitment to empower Euro-Mediterranean youth towards fostering an inclusive and sustainable future in the region. To operationalise this strategy, the UfM introduced the UfM Youth Agenda: Call to Action in November 2023, comprising proposals and recommendations for various stakeholders to enhance youth engagement in addressing global challenges.
These recommendations, formulated through consultations via quarterly working groups involving policymakers, youth-focused Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and youth leaders, serve as a guide for governments, international and regional organizations, and youth groups to strengthen the role of young people in tackling major global challenges.
Aligned with the development of the UfM Youth Agenda, the UfM is organising a series of three online meetings of the UfM Youth Focal Points Network in 2024. These gatherings will convene representatives from Member States, decision-makers, youth-led and youth-focused Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and international organizations, to specifically discuss how young Mediterranean people can be actively involved in policy-making processes related to the three thematic priorities of the UfM Youth Agenda, namely: (i) Climate Action and Environment; (ii) Education and Employment and (iii) Social Inclusion and Participation.
These meetings serve two main purposes. Firstly, they facilitate dialogue among stakeholders and mobilize support for the calls to action and recommendations included in the UfM Youth Agenda. Secondly, insights gathered will inform the Mediterranean Youth Lab, a UfM capacity-building initiative to be held in November 2024, aimed at equipping young participants with skills to propose projects aligned with the UfM Youth Agenda.
The inaugural meeting of the UfM Youth Focal Points Network in 2024 will focus on youth engagement in climate and environmental policymaking.
