Youth and Social Policy Review of Seven Countries in Europe and Central Asia

Youth and Social Policy Review of Seven Countries in Europe and Central Asia - Environmental Scan related to UNFPA Core Programme Areas Report for Consultation, 15 December 2006 It has long been acknowledged that United Nations agencies need to respond supportively but differentially within a common United Nations programme to the needs of young people at national level as these relate to the core mandates of those agencies. In other words, UN agency programming, including that of UNFPA, should facilitate the development and implementation of population, social and family policies, which take into account young people in all their diversity. The challenge of contributing constructively to the development of appropriate youth programming is being actively explored in several United Nations agencies, including UNFPA and other international organisations, notably, the Council of Europe, the European Union and the World Bank. There are several arguments for why interest in the better integration of youth policy development expertise into country level programming has grown throughout the UN system in recent years, and specifically in UNFPA. These arguments range from normative and ethical considerations to emerging trends in demographic and socio-economic development.