
Shaping the Future: UfM Youth Focal Points Tackle Education and Employment Challenges
13 June 2024, online – In line with the UfM Youth Agenda priorities, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is hosting three online meetings in 2024 for the UfM Youth Focal Points Network. These meetings aim to enhance youth involvement in policymaking on the three Agenda priorities: Climate Action and Environment, Education and Employment, and Social Inclusion and Participation.
Following the initial meeting in May 2022 on Youth Engagement in Climate and Environmental Policymaking, the second meeting was held on June 13, 2024, focusing on Youth Engagement in Policies on Education and Employment. The event featured 45 participants, including UfM National Focal Points on Youth, youth-focused CSOs, and experts. Discussions centered on developing impactful youth policies in education and employment, addressing challenges, and exploring strategies.
Ms Emmanuelle Roure, DG EMPL, European Commission represented the UfM Co-Presidency.
UfM Deputy Secretary General in charge of Social and Civil Affairs, John Paul Grech, emphasized “the UfM Youth Agenda serves as a blueprint for enhancing youth engagement in addressing global challenges, including those in education and employment”. The meeting included presentations on relevant initiatives and an interactive discussion on recommendations from the UfM Youth Agenda.
Key points included the need for collaboration with youth workers, training in under-explored skills, and adopting gender-transformative curricula. Participants also stressed diversifying communication and including marginalized groups in policymaking processes.
Insights from these sessions will be compiled into a final policy document, to be presented at the Med Youth Lab, a UfM capacity-building initiative supported by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) to take place in November 2024.