Mechanisms for the elaboration of youth policies
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3.3. MECHANISMS FOR THE ELABORATION OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL POLICIES PERTAINING TO YOUTH
The idea of quality standards for youth policy development and implementation is relatively new. With the institutionalization of the youth ministerial conferences on world and regional levels came acceptance that a body of good practice in youth policy could be distilled for use in many different contexts with adaptation to local circumstances and specificity. The existence of the World Program of Action on Youth (WPAY, see above) is one expression of this acceptance, although it is entirely up to the member states of the United Nations whether they actually commit to meeting its standards. In Europe, probably more than in any other region of the world, academics, practitioners, and policy makers have established indicators for quality in youth policy development and implementation that are accepted by governments and should be used as a guide to national policy making and as a basis for evaluation and assessment. These indicators are not legally binding, but have become the accepted wisdom of the field, to some extent “rubbing-off” on other regions and individual countries. This has led to several interesting initiatives in the field of youth policy evaluation and assessment, referred to as national and international youth policy reviews.[16]
3.3.1. The Council of Europe’s Program of National and International Youth Policy Reviews
www.coe.int/t/dg4/youth/IG_Coop/youth_policy_reviews_en.asp
The Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe has developed a system to evaluate national youth policies on the invitation of its member states. Based on an extensive national evaluation report and study visits in the countries concerned, an international expert team drafts an evaluation report, which is presented to the European Steering Committee for Youth and the minister responsible for youth issues of the country concerned at a public hearing. As of 2009, 14 International Reviews of Youth Policy have been conducted in member states. In addition, as of 2009, two analytical reports (“Supporting Young People in Europe,” Vols. 1 and 2) have been published, summarizing good practices in the field of youth policy development on the basis of the experience of the international youth policy reviews.[17]
3.3.2. Youth Policy Advisory Missions[18]
Individual member states and partner countries of the Council of Europe occasionally request technical assistance in the development of their national youth policies through what is known as a “youth policy advisory mission.” In this context, a senior civil servant and specially selected international experts visit the country in question to meet a wide variety of stakeholders in the youth and social policy fields as well as nongovernmental partners and prepare a series of recommendations to the national authority concerning how to develop and improve its national youth policy.
3.3.3. Other Youth Policy Review Processes
International Council on National Youth Policy (ICNYP)
www.icnyp.net/index.php?id=14
ICNYP is an international nongovernmental organization dedicated to the promotion and development of national youth policy concepts and processes ICNYP addresses itself to nations, which are primarily responsible for national youth policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. In its activities, ICNYP works with all stakeholders, including young men and women, NGOs, notably youth NGOs, governments, parliaments, intergovernmental organizations, bilateral organizations, and the United Nations System to foster the development of quality youth policy development and implementation.
UNFPA Counting on Youth Policy Review 2006–2008
http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/adolescents
In July 2006 the UNFPA [United Nations Population Fund] Country Technical Services Team for Europe and Central Asia (based in Bratislava, Slovakia) commissioned an environmental scan of the situations and needs of young people in seven countries of Europe and Central Asia, of youth and social policy provision pertaining to youth, and of complementary UN programming in the field of youth. In 2007 the study was extended to include Kosovo, and seven more countries in the region. The objectives were to describe the situation of young people with a view to better understanding their needs in relation to UNFPA core program areas (including sexual and reproductive health) and to provide recommendations for improving UNFPA action on youth. The content of the review covered fertility and population dynamics, socioeconomic conditions of youth, health, gender and the participation of young women, participation in social and political life, and youth policies and programming- UNFPA hopes to continue with youth policy reviews in other regions in the coming years, including the Middle East.
Footnotes