Young people are the key to achieving sustainable development. 20 targets across 6 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are heavily focused on youth. These goals, however, can only be achieved if each and every youth are made as a priority in policy making.
Through the new National Youth Policy in 2016, Timor-Leste is committed to leave no youth behind.
Last year (2017), UNFPA Timor-Leste led the United Nations Inter-Agency Youth Results Group (YRG) to initiate a project titled “Leaving no youth Behind in Timor-Leste”; a project funded by the United Nations Development Group- Asia Pacific. With the collaboration effort from UN Women and UNHRU, the UN in Timor-Leste aimed “to produce a situation analysis which can be used to draw a roadmap for the Timorese government, UN organizations and other relevant stakeholders from now until 2030 to leave no youth behind.” This project consisted of several publications and activities as mentioned below.
With the support from the local government and NGO Belun, in April 2018, a new policy series focuses on the 5 most vulnerable youth groups was launched. Each policy brief presents a situation analysis based on quantitative data from an independent analysis of the 2015 Timor-Leste Census and qualitative data from focus group discussions, as well as supporting evidence from studies and reports conducted in Timor-Leste.
The 5 themes of the policy briefs are:
- Young Female Farmers
- Migrant Youth in Dili City
- Young People neither in Education, Employment nor Training (NEET)
- LGBTI Youth
- Young people with a Disability
The 5 policy briefs can be obtained via (http://timor-leste.unfpa.org/en/publications). A package of related information cards and info graphics are also available on the Facebook page: United Nations Timor-Leste.
