United Nations to Update Georgian Youth Policy

The United Nations team in Georgia will provide assistance to the Georgian Parliamentary Committee of Sports and Youth Issues as it reviews and updates the National Youth Policy, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) of Georgia announced in a press release on Monday.

The Georgian National Youth Policy was adopted in 2014 and aims to “encourage [the] establishment of the relevant environment for the comprehensive youth development where youth will be able to fully realize their potential and be actively involved in any sphere of the social life.” Overall, the policy’s objectives are to involve youth in social, economic, cultural and political life; provide youth with high quality education and access to employment; establish a healthy lifestyle and ensure access to health services; and to raise awareness among the youth of civil rights and duties.

The policy also defines youth policy actors, including the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, and provides for an Interagency Coordinating Council to ensure the involvement of local authorities in the policy.

Today, however, the United Nations says the policy needs to see some changes.

“Considering the new opportunities and challenges faced by today’s generation and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, it’s necessary to review and update the policy, as well as define relevant tasks and actions,” the press release said.

The Committee of Sports and Youth Issues will receive technical support from the United Nations Coordination Group on Youth Issues, which was established by UNFPA in 2019. The following actions have been planned: Evaluating the implementation results of the “Georgian National Policy development action plan 2014-2020”; Preparing specific recommendations for strengthening interagency coordination; and developing a concept of the National Youth Policy of Georgia, to be submitted to Parliament for approval.

By Lucy Papachristou

Photo Source: Wikipedia