African UN Youth Delegate and Representative Program AUNYD

• The African UN Youth Delegate and Representative Program AUNYD is not an official UN program. The UN Youth Delegate Program is driven and owned by UN Member States. Official Youth Delegates are always exclusively selected by UN Member States.  The civil society youth representatives we select at the AUNYD have a better chance to become national UN Youth Delegates through our training and support

Following our UN Youth Delegates and Representatives project conducted with our partners in Sudan in the previous year, this project strives to promote UN Youth Delegates and Representatives on a regional level.  As  the Youth from East African countries is still heavily underrepresented at the international stage, together with our partner organization in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, we jointly designed a two-year project, funded by the German Foreign Ministry. The project aims to increase  representation of the youth of East African countries at the UN supported by building a network of stable and capable UN Associations, which will organize UN Youth Delegates and Representatives programs in the participating countries. The project capacitates East African youth and increases their visibility through workshops, skills trainings, and regional meetings fostering innovative learning concepts which lead up to the actual representation at the UN General Assembly  on base of a joint vision for the East African region. Moreover,  the project aims at fostering knowledge about the UN and its work in the participating countries among a broader youth audience.

Project Goals

• Increase East African Youth representation at the international stage and UN
• Foster regional exchange among the youth of participating countries and support them in establishing common visions for relevant topics
• Promote knowledge about the UN system and its work among a broader young civil society. Encourage participation in UN opportunities and interest in its mission.
• Establish sustainable structures to create lasting UN Youth Delegates and Representatives Programs, beyond the scope of the project.

Target Group(s)

The project targets youths from participating countries between the ages of 18 and 32

Planned Outcomes/Achievements

By the end of the project there will be stable structures and networks of UN Associations in all of the participating countries. Further, the  UN Youth Delegates and Representatives and Fellows will have acquired deeper knowledge in addressing pressing issues and lobbying for their interests on both, national, regional and international platforms. Due to the regional cooperation among the UN Youth fellows and delegates and representatives, overall regional cohesion will be fostered.

By supporting our partners in establishing stable structures and networks to enable young people from East African countries engaging in UN-opportunities, the project also seeks to improve  the visibility and influence of East African Youths in public administration, international as well as diplomatic affairs . Lastly, the implementation of the project will lead to cooperation with the respective governments, so that sustainable UN Association structures can be created.