National Workshop on “Capacity Building for Youth Participation in Public Policy and the Decision-Making Process”

The WANA Institute and ESCWA are jointly organising a workshop at the Royal Scientific Society in Amman from 8 to 10 August 2017 on “Enhancing the Capacities of Youth Participation in Public Life and in the Decision-Making Process”. Twenty-two selected Jordanian youth leaders will participate, representing youth organisations, associations, youth initiatives, government entities and the private sector.

The workshop will address the main issues youth are facing in the Arab region in general, and in Jordan in particular, such as high unemployment, low political participation, weak collective identity, gender inequality, and protracted conflicts. Throughout the workshop, participants are expected to gain participatory-based skills for increased youth influence on public policies, such as leadership, communication, advocacy, policy dialogue, and consensus-building skills. Participants will also gain knowledge on the prevailing governance systems in the region, the different phases of public policy design, and how youth can influence the decision-making process.

The workshop also aims to build trust between youth leaders and other stakeholders concerned with youth participation, establish sustainable mechanisms and frameworks to support youth associations, and come up with youth development indicators, and set out monitoring and evaluation activities that help assess the progress made in youth participation in public life.