Promoting youth empowerment and accountability through upstreaming community-based initiatives

More than 80 youth volunteers proposed projects that potentially could help reduce vulnerabilities and alleviate community, health, personal and environmental insecurities in their velayats. Four youth-led projects will promote solidarity with older persons and advocate for the intergenerational dialogue; healthy lifestyle using the “peer-to-peer” approach among the at-risk youth; awareness raising campaigns among the potential migrants and their families; and promote environmental awareness among the teachers and schoolchildren.  The projects will kick-off in August and will be run by youth volunteers with the support of the local authorities until the end of the year.  

Volunteers were nominated by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Policy, Ministry of Education, Youth Organization, Red Crescent, CSO “Beyik Eyam” and others. During the two-day workshop, youth leaders were provided with a set of project management tools to develop community-based initiatives according to the Human Security and Results-Based Management approaches (e.g., SMART criteria, root cause analysis, vision statement and etc.)  

Recognizing the importance of fostering the dialogue between the youth and local authorities for building trust and creating environment promoting sustainable development, the workshop concluded with volunteers presenting their community-based initiatives to the Local Committee members. Received feedback and ideas will be further incorporated to ensure long-term progress of the results gained under the Joint Programme.  

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The UN-Government of Turkmenistan Joint Programme on “Empowering and Engaging Youth in Mitigating the Threats of the Health Pandemic” funded by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) and Participating UN agencies (UNFPA, UNICEF, UNODC and OIM), is aimed at strengthening the dialogue between young people and decision-makers by promoting community cohesiveness, livelihood and dignity. Human security approach is used as an optimal framework as it develops a holistic set of interventions that are people-centred, context specific, comprehensive and prevention oriented. 

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund and the Ministry of Sport and Youth Policy of Turkmenistan arethe lead agencies in the Joint Programme. Coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other implementing partners are UNICEF, IOM, UNODC and Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Healthcareand Medical Industry, Institute for State, Law and Democracy, Office of the Ombudsman, as well as public organizations and local NGOs working with the communities.