UNFPA aims to Enhance the capacity of the national government and civil society organizations to design and implement programmes on reproductive health, social cohesion and civic engagement for vulnerable young people, with special focus on marginalized adolescent girls in humanitarian settings.

This programme output is linked to Outcome 2 of UNFPA’s Strategic Plan and contributes to the UNDAF outcome: Increased inclusion of women and minority groups in decision- making processes on development issues at national and subnational levels. The output also contributes to the National Strategic Plan priority of Human and Social development. The output will be achieved through advocacy and policy dialogue, capacity development and knowledge management using the following strategies:

a. Supporting the development of a national youth strategy;
b. Roll-outing life skills and civic engagement education, with particular focus on adolescents and youth in humanitarian settings;
c. Supporting youth-led networks and organizations to participate in planning and implementation of programmes that address their needs;
d. Scaling-up outreach of capacity building interventions for displaced and out-of-school young people; and
e. Increasing public awareness and support to the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people.

Major Activities:

Support the development of a national youth strategy;
• Undertake a regional youth assessment in Kurdistan to inform strategy development
• Develop a regional youth strategy for Kurdistan.

Roll-out of life skills and civic engagement education, with particular focus on adolescents and youth in humanitarian settings;
• Support life skills education with special focus on young refugees and IDPs
• Conduct an assessment of life skills/peer education interventions to inform the programme
• Support the institutionalization of  life skills/civic engagement through vocational centers and schools and in higher education national curricula
• Develop skills of partners on youth programs

Support for youth- led network s and organizations to participate in planning and implementation of programs that address their needs;
• Support formulation of the bylaw of national Y-Peer network
• Scale up the peer education activities to integrate eligible registered youth NGOs within the Ministry of Youth network,

Scale-up of outreach of capacity building interventions for displaced and out-of-school young people;
• Develop special curriculum on social cohesion, peace building and civic engagement and support its integration within the national curricula
• Support capacity building of young IDP volunteers in GBV and early prevention of marriage

Increase public awareness and support to the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people;
• Conduct SRH awareness activities through young females clubs with focus on refugee and IDPs young girls
 

UNFPA Partners: Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Kurdistan Regional Government, Non-governmental organizations, Media, World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, International Labour Organization