This page provides presentations and supplementary materials related to a 2008 conference marking the conclusion of a project on ‘Youth Exclusion and Political Violence’ co-funded by the World Bank ‘Trust Fund for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development’ (TFESSD) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project sought to identify ways to break the adverse relationship between youth bulges (large youth cohorts), marginalization, and political violence, and to engage large youth cohorts positively in development.

The aim of the conference was to discuss advances in the research on youth and political violence in relation to developmental policies targeted towards youth inclusion, such as education reform, social protection, employment programs, urban development strategies, micro credit schemes and reintegration programs for displaced youth or former combatants. At-risk youth in Sub-Saharan Africa were a particular focus.

The conference was co-organized by the Africa Fragile States, Conflict and Social Development Unit of the World Bank and the Centre for the Study of Civil War (CSCW) at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO).

The occupation of Palestine and the conflict and violence that have attended it has had devastating implications for protection and livelihoods in the West Bank and Gaza. This Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Working Paper analyzes the relationship between protection and livelihoods in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It explores:

• how threats to people’s protection are linked to their livelihoods,
• the impact of these threats on particular groups in the West Bank and Gaza, including youth and children (which account for over half of the populations in Gaza) and
• the strategies they employ in response.

The study analyzes the efforts of humanitarian organizations to link protection and livelihoods in their work, with recommendations on how this work could be expanded in the occupied Palestinian territory and elsewhere. Among other concerns, the report identifies persistent pyschological trauma in children, poverty caused by vioence and constricted movement, and lack of education due to poor people in the Palestinian territories withdrawing their children from school in order to increase the productive capacity of their households.

After more than 21 years of civil war, relative peace returned in 2005 to Southern Sudan with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). The treaty has brought a fragile peace, but development efforts in Southern Sudan have been hampered by significant delays in making operational some of the vital commissions called for by the peace accord. As a result, Southern Sudan continues to struggle against the devastation caused by the civil war and remains one of the poorest areas in the world, with an estimated 90 percent of the population earning less than $1 per day. The war destroyed infrastructure, institutions and physical capital, crippling economic growth and livelihoods at all levels.

Within this context, ACDI/VOCA implements the Agricultural Market and Enterprise Development (AMED) program to improve the environment for increasing private sector employment opportunities in Juba, Yei and Wau. The project accomplishes this through small business development, skills and asset building, improved governance, and increased business productivity.

AMED is a three-year USAID-funded project implemented in collaboration with four other U.S. private voluntary organizations under the Volunteers in Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA). Despite the enormous challenges and difficult operating environment, the fragile peace under the CPA presents an unprecedented opportunity to turn the years of war, displacement and underdevelopment into a new era of peace and prosperity. AMED works in partnership with local government authorities and civil society, responding to requests for assistance to build programs and markets and to provide services in response to needs of emerging private enterprises.

ACDI/VOCA builds capacity for the development of agricultural markets, particularly the establishment and growth of marketing associations and cooperatives. By using international and regional volunteer consultants and in-house expertise, ACDI/VOCA provides technical assistance to various entities, including government, farmers and development organizations, on the market-oriented development of specific agricultural sectors as well as general agricultural markets. ACDI/VOCA has provided technical assistance to 175 government extension officers and 1,045 farmers through FaaB (Farming as a Business) training. ACDI/VOCA is also supporting the reintegration of displaced populations by providing livelihoods training primarily for youth, ex-combats and women to ensure sustainable income generation and increase employment opportunities.

Alex Gebrehiwot
agebrehiwot@acdivoca.org

Sept 2004 – Sept 2008

The Education Development Center has produced a cross-sectoral assessment of the Youth of Yemen, as part of a EQUIP3 USAID-funded initiative. The Yemen Stability Initiative (YSI) endeavors to address alienation among disaffected, disenfranchised, vulnerable youth ages 15–24. It addresses their difficulties through an array of activities and programs to increase their civic participation, life skills competence, health, violent extremism management and mitigation capabilities, and livelihood opportunities.

The study focused on key youth issues:

• Stability
• Unstable Economy
• Population Pressures and Growing Youth Bulge
• Rising Rates of Youth Unemployment
• Illiteracy and Educational Attainment
• A Wide Range of Health Concerns

The Women’s Refugee Commission is holding a three-day highly participatory workshop designed to bring practitioners from throughout the region to learn new techniques, share experiences, and collect tools designed to improve practice on the ground. Two days of the workshop will focus on findings from the Women’s Refugee Commission’s three-year research project on livelihoods in refugee, IDP, and returnee settings and will include practice sessions on usage of the newly released Livelihoods Field Manual. A third day of the workshop will cover findings on the Commission’s project on livelihoods as a tool of protection against gender-based violence and how GBV and livelihood programs should complement each other to better protect women.

Apply for this event by July 10, 2009

Participants will be required to cover their own travel expenses. Meals and materials will be provided. There will be a very limited amount of financial assistance available to local NGOs only for partial coverage of travel and hotel expenses.

To request an application or for any questions, please contact Gillian at: gillianda@wrcommission.org

The Women’s Refugee Commission has developed a first-of-its-kind field manual to provide humanitarian workers with important information and practical tools for designing and implementing more effective livelihood programs so that refugees can earn a living and support themselves and their families.

The WRC cordially invites you to attend a reception to celebrate the launch of Building Livelihoods: A Field Manual for Practitioners in Humanitarian Settings, with Dale Buscher, Director of Protection.

The launch will be held on Wednesday, June 3, 2009, at 5:30 p.m. at the Women’s Refugee Commission, 122 East 42nd Street, 11th Floor, New York City.

Please RSVP by May 29 to caitlink@wrcommission.org or 212.551.3115

The USAID-funded Community Action Program (CAP) III builds upon the successes of CAP I and II in strengthening local government institutions and grassroots democracy in Iraq. ACDI/VOCA and its sub-partner, International City/County Management Association (ICMA), are implementing CAP III in four of Iraq’s northern provinces: Kirkuk, Salah ad Din, Diyala and Ninawa. The goal of CAP III is to increase the ability of local government to identify, articulate and better meet the needs of its constituency.

The program’s objectives are:

• Communities better articulate their needs and mobilize resources within and outside the community to solve common problems;
• Local executive and representative government in CAP communities better meet articulated needs of the community; and
• Civilian victims of conflict assisted by the Marla Ruzicka Innocent Victims of War Fund.

Meeting the needs of local youth is important to achieving these objectives, so CAP III incorporates several youth components:

• Apprenticeship Programs for Youth in Private/Public Sector
  The Apprenticeship Program was designed and implemented under the previous CAP programs to improve youth workforce capacity in areas of high youth unemployment. The apprenticeship program currently provides short-term jobs in combination with on-the-ground training for over 460 youth between 18 and 24 years old who are graduates of technical institutes and universities.
  
  Under CAP III, supervisors are being trained in how to mentor and coach apprentices, which improves employers’ human resource management. This addresses the needs of youth in the community, and also has the benefit of strengthening human resource capacity within the local government, which will be critical as local government becomes more decentralized. In addition, CAP III is introducing an apprenticeship program targeted at public health outreach. Through this program, young graduates, will assist health specialists in developing outreach and training materials targeting maternal and child health, water-borne diseases, and other community-identified critical public health issues.
  
  
• Youth Civic Action and Governance Summer Camps
  ACDI/VOCA will conduct two Youth Civic Action and Governance Summer camps for a total of 120 youth in the summer of 2009. The camps will bring together male and female youth from all four provinces who represent diverse ethnicities to engage them in activities that will teach community governance strategies through active simulation and participation. Through the camps, youth will be exposed to both diversity and commonalities among themselves, and they will learn how to effectively use conflict-mitigation strategies, team-building, and advocacy strategies as responsible citizens.
  
  
• Development of Youth Community Action Groups (CAGs)
  Under CAP II, the Quratoo Community Action Group in northern Diyala developed a strong focus on advocating for youth issues and developing youth leadership. It formed a Youth Action CAG, predominantly composed of men and women under 30 years of age who work in the public sector as teachers and government employees, to support and inform its work with and for young people. Currently, the Quratoo CAG focuses on promoting and advocating youth leadership to their sub-district council and higher levels of government.

Brandie Maxwell
bmaxwell@acdivoca.org

October 2008 - March 2010

This Note from the Field provides an overview of the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Youth Education Pack (YEP) program in northern Uganda. The YEP program provides war-affected youth with literacy skills, life skills and vocational training. While the program emphasizes basic literacy and psycho-social support, the livelihood skills offered are an integral tool in helping participating youth successfully reintegrate into their communities. The note describes the experience of one youth participant in the program in northern Uganda.

The Economic Recovery Standards address strategies and interventions designed to promote enterprises, employment, and cash flow and asset management among enterprises and livelihoods in environments affected by conflict or disaster. Since a broad range of practitioners are engaged directly or indirectly in strategies to promote economic recovery in crisis environments, these standards were developed with the following three groups in mind:

• Practitioners experienced in emergency situations, but less familiar with economic recovery initiatives
• Practitioners experienced in economic development but unaccustomed to crisis environments
• Practitioners and programs working in multiple interventions or sectors in crisis environments (e.g. health, education, infrastructure, or HIV/AIDS).

The Standards include two overall sections on Common Standards and Assessments & Analysis, plus four distinct technical areas: financial services, assets interventions, employment creation, and enterprise development.

How can value chains include and support populations affected by conflict, natural disaster, or HIV/AIDS? USAID’s microLINKS is hosting an online discussion, facilitated by Ben Fowler (MEDA), Luis Osorio (Practical Action) and Christian Pennotti (AED) from April 28-30 on this question. Explore how value chain development programs can effectively include vulnerable populations, discuss how use and abuse of power during a crisis can impact value chain programs, and learn how to adjust your activities to the particular position and population you are working with.

Each day, participants are invited to share their own experiences, questions and comments in the discussion forum:

• Day 1: Involving vulnerable populations. What barriers participation are faced by more vulnerable populations? Are demand-driven approaches always sufficient to ensure their participation?
• Day 2: The politics of crisis. How does the use or abuse of power in a crisis affect the impacts of value chain programs for vulnerable populations?
• Day 3: Adjusting practice to context. A look at the practical experiences of people working on value chain development programs for vulnerable populations. What can we learn from those experiences?