1. Youth Employment Opportunities through the MDGs : a West African perspective By Mouhamed A. Latif Mbengue Former UN Millennium Campaign Regional Youth Editor for TakingITGlobal Deputy Coordinator, YES SENEGAL Deputy Coordinator, YES SENEGAL Program Coordinator, Synapse Center

2. PLACE OF YOUTH IN THE MILLENNIUM DECLARATION At first sight one may say that there is no specific focus on youth in the Millennium Declaration. The word Youth is mentioned only once and it is in the last part( goal 8 dedicated to Global Partnership for development. And even there Youth are perceived as simple beneficiaries not actors.

3. YOUTH : SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS MAKING THE MDGs A REALTY The point of this paper is to demonstrate that Youth can be more than simple beneficiaries of the MDGs, they can act to help their communities reach the MDGs while creating jobs opportunities for themselves and their peers. To illustrate this point we will take the example of the west African context and the work of the MDG West Africa Youth Caucus.

4. YOUTH AND THE MDG KEY DATES December 2004 Partnership between the Millennium Campaign and Key international Youth organizations including: TakingITGlobal, GYAN and the World organisation of Scouts. June 2004: First Panafrican Youth leadership Summit, organized by the UNDP in Dakar Senegal February 2005: Hiring of a Regional Youth Editor whose role is to raise awareness of Youth on the Millennium Development Goals.

5. WHY YOUTH PARTICIPATION? Demographic weight of youth (60% of the population in many West African Country. In my country Senegal youth represent more than 58 % of the population Dynamism of youth within the civil society (Growing number of youth organizations, national and regional networks. e. g. The West African Youth Network, YES Country Networks High pourcentage of funds allocated to development are returned because of adequate management ressources. Youth’s natural creativity and openess to change

6. WHICH YOUTH PARTICIPATION? Threefold: Active – Informed – Sustained Active # folkloric participation: youth should refuse to be used as mere campaigning instruments Informed : Youth should be well Informed about the Goals and the background history behind them Sustained and commited: change always takes time.

7. HOW YOUTH CAN PARTICIPATE? Lobbying(for their governement to keep the promise made in the Millennium Declaration Project implementation Showcase what they have done in order to secure more support. Share creative approaches to poverty alleviation Institutionalize their action to win the confidence of foreign and local donors

8. YOUTH ALREADY IN THE FIELD -Iearn, Sierra Leone( Youth Education- Goal 2 -The West African Youth Network in the Mano River Union area From Goal 1 to Goal 7 youth are already active in making the MDGs a reality, even though they do not always conceptually relate to the MDG -Save the Children’s partnership with Synergie Banlieue, Senegal (HIV AIDS) -YES County Networks

9. MDG REGIONAL YOUTH CAUCUS Spaces for: 1. information 2.inspiration 3.involvement 4. Collaboration 5. Sharing best practices and systems

10. MEMBERSHIP AND A FEW ACHIEVEMENTS MDG West Africa Open Forum, in partnership with local NGOs like ANCEFA and FORUT Senegal Education For All workshop, in partnership with UNESCO MDG Youth Memorandum ( lobbying instrument) Participation in MDG Youth Mapping Project ( research ) Contribution to the Global MDG Youth Portal and to the Millennium Campaign Website.

11. NEXT PRIORITIES Keep-up the momentum Link-up with other youth groups such as the West African Youth Network WAYN,in Freetown Sierra Leone The YES Country Network in Senegal Partnership with large international MDG action groups such as GCAP and the UN Millennium Campaign in order to provide support to youth in their effort to reach the MDG in West Africa

12. INFORMATIVE RESOURCES www.millenniumcampaign.org www.un.org/ youth www.mdgyouthpaper.org http://mdg.takingitglobal.org Raising Their Voices a new TakingITGlobal publication on youth working on the Millennium Development Goals worldwide Other sources : UNOWA study on Youth Employment and Insecurity in West Africa, www.unowa.orgwww.unowa.org

13. THANK YOU