EU Commissioner launches Youth Action Plan
Visiting European Union (EU) Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen on Thursday launched the EU Youth Action Plan which aims at promoting engagement of youths as strategic partners.
A statement from the EU in Malawi on Thursday said the plan will also ensure youth empowerment for inclusive societies and make progress towards global commitments such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Malawi 2063 (MW2063), the country’s long-term development strategy.
The statement said the EU believes that young people cannot be considered as add-ons to adult-led initiatives.
Reads part of the statement: “Young people are a constituency who hold uniquely critical perspectives and skills necessary for informing and driving policy, service delivery and research.
“The Youth Action Plan is a new model but complements several youth interventions that the EU in Malawi has implemented and will continue to implement through future programmes.”
According to the statement, the EU is working with the Malawi Government to enhance the contribution of the youth and women in connection to MW2063.
The EU said Malawi’s high population growth, though i t presents enormous pressure to sustain livelihoods, presents a strong opportunity if the country is to succeed in harnessing the youth potential and realise a demographic dividend.
The EU’s support to the youth cuts across the three main priority areas of its work in Malawi which are green and resilient economic transformation, democratic and economic governance and human development and social inclusion.
“Through projects like Young Women in Politics, the EU promoted the inclusion of young women between the ages of 15 to 35 in active politics.
“Through the National Institute for Civic Education, the EU contributes towards promoting democracy and good governance in Malawi, through civic and voter education. Through the Spotlight Initiative, EU engaged and empowered women and girls through various self-reliance initiatives,” reads in part the statement.
During her two-day visit to Malawi, Urpilainen on Thursday toured an EU-funded project in Kasungu and held bilateral talks with President Lazarus Chakwera.
Today, she is expected to sign financing agreements with the Malawi Government for various projects estimated at about 100 million euros.
The projects will cover new programmes supporting the energy sector, green growth initiatives, democratic governance and access to justice as well as food production and resilience of food systems.
