UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is currently focusing on empowering Libyan youth with skills and sustainable livelihood opportunities, as well as, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to the stabilization and prosperity of Libya”, says Samir Anouti, UNFPA Representative in Libya in his statement on the International Youth Day.
“Despite their sizeable proportion of the population and the great potential they represent, the empowerment and engagement of youth in Libya remains a missed opportunity,” Anouti pointed out.
In fact, young people especially girls are confronting multifaceted challenges particularly stemming from a long period of conflict and instability, he added.
The day is marked every year calling on the world to acknowledge the contribution of youth and utilize their potentials for achieving sustainable development.
In Libya, young people especially girls have been disproportionately affected by the conflict, COVID-19 and associated vulnerabilities, which require support especially from donors and development partners, said UNFPA in a statement on Friday.
“Youth in Libya are passing through the most challenging times. Lack of quality education, youth friendly health services and employment opportunities, compounded by limited meaningful venues for political and civic engagement is leading to increased vulnerabilities including marginalization, violence, and hardship. On the other hand, with youth-centered interventions, and through their active civic participation, untapped potentials could be cultivated for reaping developmental dividends in the years to come”, says Samir Anouti.
UNFPA Libya along its partners and with the support of European Union’s Africa Trust Fund (EUTF) is currently implementing the Employment Forward project in different cities of Libya. The project is focused on empowering youth in Libya through capacity building on life skills and entrepreneurship. It provides two months of intensive training on different topics such as sewing, handicrafts, phone maintenance, car showroom maintenance, robotics, effective communication, and others, according to UNFPA.
Talking about UNFPA’s youth programming in Libya, Anouti says, “our interventions are yielding multiple results. We are not only building skills for sustainable economic gains but at the same time bringing youth issues to the forefront, encouraging, and celebrating youth potential to drive peace and development”.