Opportunities Fund for Urban Youth-Led Development - Mapping Urban Youth-Led Development

UN-HABITAT recognises that young people need to be active participants in the future of cities. Its “Strategy for Enhanced Engagement of Youth” aims to promote the leadership and participation of young women and men in all its efforts to improve the lives of people living in the rapidly expanding cities of the world. It sees the urgent need to create opportunities for youth to play a much more active and constructive role in making cities the engines of development. The 21st UN-HABITAT Governing Council met in Nairobi from 16-20 April 2007, and resolved to establish an Opportunities Fund for Urban Youth-led Development (resolution GC 21/7). The fund is meant to be an important mechanism for ensuring the sustainability and expansion of the agency’s efforts towards youth-led development. The fund was established to support urban youth-led initiatives in pursuance of the Habitat agenda, the work programme of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and overall strategy within the following areas: • mobilising young people to help strengthen youth-related policy formulation; • building capacities of governments, civil society organisations and the private sector to better address youth needs and issues; • supporting the development of interest-based information and communication-oriented networks; • piloting innovative approaches to employment, good governance, adequate shelter and secure tenure; • sharing and exchanging information on best practices; • facilitating vocational training and credit mechanisms to promote entrepreneurship and employment for young women and men, in collaboration with the private sector and with other UN bodies; • promoting gender mainstreaming in all activities of urban youth.