The future of Somalia and the well-being of its people rests significantly on empowering its large youth population, said the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today at an event in New York launching the agency's highly-anticipated Somalia Human Development Report 2012: Empowering youth for peace and development. This is the first report of its kind on this war-torn Horn of Africa country in more than a decade.
Somalia's young people aged 14 to 29, make up 42 per cent of the total population. And, given the right opportunities and support, have the potential to become a major driver for peace and stability. UNDP Somalia's Human Development Report finds that young Somalis resoundingly want to be heard and want to participate. They want to play a part in shaping the future of their nation.
The new report -- which is based on surveys conducted in more than 3,000 households in south central Somalia, Puntland and Somaliland - reveals that although the majority of Somali youth believe they have a right to be educated (82%) and a right to decent work (71%), they feel disempowered by multiple structural barriers built into the family, institutions, local government and society at--large.
This lack of viable education and employment opportunities -- in addition to clan and cultural prejudices -- has created a high level of frustration and discontentment among young people. Therefore, radical shifts in policies and attitudes are needed in order to empower and place them at the core of the development agenda.
Including youth in society is not just about creating opportunities, it is also about limiting risks. Young Somalis who can't find work are more tempted by crime, militancy or piracy, endangering not only themselves but also their communities.
The report calls on government, the private sector, civil society, and the international community to include more actively young people by developing national youth policies, creating more job opportunities, and supporting youth organizations and youth led initiatives.
The report contains a Youth Charter, developed by youth representatives from Somaliland, Puntland and south central Somalia, with inputs from a wider group within Somalia and in the diaspora. The charter underlines the aspirations, perceptions and needs of young Somalis - such as free and compulsory basic education and greater representation of youth in parliament - while serving as a guiding set of principles that the government, development agencies and civil society should abide by in order to engage youth and ensure the inclusion of their needs in the design of development policies.

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