Lead Country Process
Many countries recognise the youth employment challenges at the national, regional and global level and are committed to addressing the challenges. One of the ways this can be done is to join the growing community of YEN Lead countries.
To date, 21 countries have joined the YEN: Azerbaijan, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Jamaica, Mali, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Syria, Togo, Turkey, Uganda and United Kingdom; others have signalled their intent to follow suit.
What does it mean to be a YEN Lead Country?
As Lead country nations have committed to tackle youth employment challenges at the highest level by formulating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating National Action Plans on youth employment (NAP) and regularly report on their progress to the YEN secretariat.
Countries prepared to make a commitment to young women and men and join the community of Lead countries can signal this intention with a letter from the Head of State or Government to the Director-General of the ILO.
Lead country commitments
The YEN sets out 4 commitments undertaken by YEN Lead countries:
- Confirm Government commitment (to decent and productive work for young people) at the highest political level.
- Prepare a National Action Plan on Youth Employment (NAP).
- Contribute to international development cooperation in sharing national experience with other countries and with the international community.
- Contribute to a broader political process within the United Nations General Assembly in the overall framework of follow-up to the Millennium Declaration. For example, Lead countries may wish to support resolutions in the General Assembly on youth employment.
YEN Support
There are a number of ways Lead countries can benefit from the Network, including:
- Support in the formulation of NAPs through its core partner agencies by way of technical guidance as well as assistance to build capacity for the implementation of the plans;
- Assistance in the development and implementation of youth participation mechanisms;
- Guidance on monitoring and evaluation of youth employment projects;
- Training on gathering and analysing youth employment indicators;
- Technical and strategic support to negotiate and adopt resolutions and decisions on youth employment.
- Access to the knowledge and experience of other Lead countries on the challenges/successes of youth employment initiatives.
How to join
There are 5 basic steps to becoming a Lead country of the YEN and delivering on the commitments entailed in joining the Network;
- Read and ensure an understanding of the commitments.
- Send the formal letter of request to become a Lead country from the Head of State or Government to the Director-General of the ILO. The importance of such a commitment being conveyed at the highest level is that it signals a sustainable national commitment.
- Seek advice and support from the YEN secretariat, which can facilitate advisory assistance from the appropriate local field office of its core Agency partners (UN, WB and ILO) and other partners operational in the country.
- Identify a focal point (key youth employment contact person(s)) and provide the YEN secretariat with contact details. This will assist the coordination of activities.
- Participate in Lead country meetings, coordinated by the YEN secretariat and hosted by Lead countries themselves.
Key Documents:
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