Intergovernmental  Authority on Development

IGAD Secretariat Avenue Georges Clemenceau,

P.O. Box 2653 Djibouti,

Republic of Djibouti

IGAD | IGAD Home | Peace, Prosperity and Regional Integration

 +253-21354050

+253-21356994

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The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa was created in 1996 and works across nine countries; Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.  ​This region has a young population and a key element of AGAD's work is the engagement and empowerment of youth in inclusive policy development.   

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The IGAD Region has a population of over 230 million people and is rapidly urbanising. Around 55% of this population is under 18 years old. The high proportion of youth in this region is projected to rise in the near future, with more than 1.4 billion of the 2.45 billion (57%) global population increase between 2017-2055 to be added in Africa.  The youth in the region face major inclusion and participation barriers. Limited participation in education, unemployment despite ever more global exposure, and technical skills has led to frustration and a sense of disfranchisement, which, if left unaddressed, may threaten community cohesion, peace, stability and security.

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International Engaement with Youth

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The IGAD State of the Region Report (2020) demonstrates a meaningful youth engagement strategy across cultures, genders and a vast area and population. 

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IGAD seeks youth engagement which is inclusive, intentional, mutually respectful partnership between the adolescents, youth and young adults whereby power is shared. For IDAD the contribution of children and youth is valued, and young people’s ideas, innovations, perspectives, skills, expertise and unique strengths are integrated into the design and delivery of policies, laws, programs, strategies, funding mechanisms and organizations at national, regional, continental and global levels.

IGAD engagement with young people is realised through promotion of formal and informal child-led, youth-led and child-and- youth-serving organisations, including their members and interested parties and stakeholders. These engagements are purposeful and contribute to the design, development, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, research, learning and knowledge sharing of all sustainable development youth-related policies, laws, programs and institutions at all levels within IGAD and its Member States.

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Key priorities for IGAD's policy development and youth engagement are 1. legal, institutional and programming frameworks, 2. community cohesion, peace, stability and security and 3. youth peace and security and  youth migration and forced displacement. These focus areas establish an institutional, state and regional approach to addressing the underlying factors behind youth offending for the region’s most vulnerable children.

To address these issues IGAD seeks to implement a preventative framework of interventions to provide opportunities for youth:

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1. Assisting member states in formulating regional programmes/projects in the priority areas.

2. Facilitate the coordination and harmonization of regional development policies and programmes to ensure effective mainstreaming of the IGAD Youth Policy priorities in the IGAD member states’ development plans and budget frameworks.

3. Mobilize resources to support policy implementation including financing regional development programmes/projects emanating from the IGAD Youth Policy interpretation and application in the quest for Regional Youth Development and Empowerment.

4. Reinforce Regional and National infrastructures necessary for successful implementation of regional youth development projects and programmes within the provisions of the IGAD Youth Policy.

5. Put in place mechanisms to facilitate coordination and networking between youth and youth serving organizations at the national, regional and international level.

6. Establish linkages between the IGAD youth and youth organizations with continental and global organizations with similar objectives.

7. Promote the role of youth in culture, sports and creative industries within the region.

8. Work through member states and stakeholders to ensure effective and impactful policy implementation; policy oversighting at national and regional levels; and policy monitoring, evaluation, research and development, learning and knowledge management; and,

9. Establish an annual IGAD Youth Forum, hosted by the Executive Secretary, as a regional platform for youth engagement with the IGAD leadership.