Chapter 4.
ASSESSMENT OF THE UNDP STRATEGIC APPROACH AND INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
The section presents the findings related the strategic relevance and coherence of UNDP in the area of youth economic empowerment and its institutional effectiveness.
4.1 STRATEGIC RELEVANCE AND COHERENCE Finding 10. Strategic relevance. At the global level, UNDP has championed youth economic empowerment through a clear vision anchored in a human rights-based approach and aligned with the United Nations system-wide strategy for youth. However, youth economic empowerment has yet to be fully mainstreamed at the regional and country levels. UNDP support for youth economic empowerment was crucial to the broader United Nations system-wide engagement in what can be dubbed “the decade of youth”. Since the designation of the International Year of Youth (2010-2011), UNDP has played a key role in the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development (which UNDP co-chaired in the period 2015-2016) and has actively participated in the Economic and Social Council Youth Forum since 2012 and co-convening it since 2013. UNDP championed youth empowerment, including youth economic empowerment, by drafting its youth strategy as the first strategic document dedicated to youth in the organization, in line with the Strategic Plan, 2014-2017. A strong and clear vision delineated an integrated approach to youth empowerment, with youth economic empowerment at centre stage as the first of three interrelated strategic outcomes, including civic and political participation and youth in peace and resilience-building.”114 UNDP launched its first global youth programme in 2016 and joined other United Nations agencies in 2018 in drafting and launching Youth 2030, the United Nations youth strategy. As a result, UNDP did not renew its own youth strategy after the period 2014-2017. At the regional level, the scope and quality of the alignment of regional strategies with the UNDP and the United Nations system-wide global strategy on youth were mixed, ranging from full integration to hybrid models. For example, the UNDP strategy in the Arab States region is fully aligned with the United Nations Youth 2030 agenda and the regional office is currently developing the Regional Strategic Framework for Young People in the Arab States / Middle East and North Africa Region (2021-2030). This framework proposes an integrated approach to youth empowerment including civic engagement,
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The two additional strategic outcomes are: enhanced civic engagement and participation, and strengthened youth engagement in resilience-building.
CHAPTER 4. ASSESSMENT OF THE UNDP STRATEGIC APPROACH AND INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
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