DIPD’s work on Youth in Politics is rated as Promising Practice

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DIPD’s work on Youth in Politics is rated as Promising Practice

by DIPD on March 29, 2017

In an independent review of more than 76 global programmes in support of youth, DIPD’s engagement with promoting youth in politics is considered as promising practice that can inspire both the MFA and other organisations.

The Danish MFA undertook the review to inform how the MFA optimizes and operationalises the new Development Cooperation Strategy and it’s particular focus on youth.

In the new Strategy Denmark has committed to giving young people “ the opportunity to enhance their participation and influence in society as involved, committed and equal actors with the ability and opportunity to take developments into their own hands” Moreover the strategy outlines that these objectives are to be achieved through various measures within policy, programme and partnerships. The review was undertaken in view of these two main strands in mind.

Minister for Development, Ulla Tørnæs, presents a review of MFA’a youth engagements.

While DIPD’s youth programmes are not directly part of the MFAs youth portfolio, DIPD’s method of work was included by the review team and also discussed by the international youth panel involved in the review itself and rated as promising practice.

Promising practice: Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy (DIPD); strengthening youth involvement in the political parties through inspiration and exchange between political parties’ youth wings.

DIPD supports democracy through support to political parties in developing countries with funding from Danida, partly through the Danish political parties and partly through direct support to multi-party democracy initiatives. DIPD has identified the strengthening of youth involvement and participation within the political parties in developing countries as one of a limited number of areas where Danish support can add specific value. In cooperation between DUF and DIPD, a guideline on ‘how to build a youth wing’ has been developed by young Danish youth wing members, used as training and inspiration material. Exchange activities between the young members from Denmark and Egypt, Swaziland, Zambia, Tanzania, Palestine, Myanmar, Bhutan, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya and Bolivia has been implemented. DIPD has both directly implemented and funded a number of projects, through Danish political parties, their youth wings and youth members in developing countries to increase focus on and strengthen youth as political actors. A recent evaluation found that ‘project activities gave the young participants new skills and self-esteem, particularly among young women in traditionalist societies’.

Youth leading the world 2030: a review of Danida’s youth-related engagements, Final Report, 2017, p. 12

Danish and Egyptian youth share experiences on the Nile.

DIPD employs a systemic approach to working with youth in politics that both engages party leadership and agenda setting through advocacy, look at party structures and processes that facilitates or hinders youth engagement and finally capacitates youth and facilitates multiparty youth dialogues and platforms.

With this approach the institute and the Danish political parties together with youth and partners are very well placed to initiate and facilitate change relating to several of the main recommendations of the review. The recommendations where DIPD can make a particular contribution are listed below:

  • Unleashing young people’s agency – Support formal and informal youth-led organisations, networks and movements to lead, initiate, design and implement their own initiatives – Several of DIPDs programmes are supporting leadership development of the youth and the establishment of youth wings or youth platforms that can take own action and agency.
  • Prioritise youth-to-youth exchanges between Denmark and developing countries, particular between youth-led organisations and movements. In DIPD’s work the exchange between party youth in cooperation countries and party youth in Denmark is a center piece and mutual learning and peer dialogue has taken place with youth in Egypt, Malawi, Kenya, Myanmar, Palestine, just to mention a few.
  • Support linkages between youth and gender movements, and promote the nexus of the two – In several of DIPD’s programmes – for example in Malawi and Myanmar, the strategies on youth involvement interact with measures to involve more women in political parties and often the agenda setting work is focused on both youth and gender.
  • Champion Youth priorities in National Policy Dialogues with Governments in Priority Countries – while it takes time and concerted action to facilitate youth dialogues on national policies it also takes national opportunities for policy input to make it fly. In Myanmar the current formulation process of the National Youth Policy came as a welcome opportunity for DIPD to facilitate input from the youth through the DIPD supported Multiparty Youth Dialogue Platforms. In several other countries such as Kenya and Malawi similar processes are or have been underway.

In DIPD’s updated Global Strategy for 2018-2021 Youth in Politics will continue to figure prominently.

Danida report on youth engagements.

More information

Read more about DIPD’s youth engagement in Myanmar.

Read more about DIPD’s youth engagement in Egypt and watch FUTURE DEMOCRATS – a film about the Danish-Egyptian Youth Network.

Read more about The Socialist People’s Party and the Liberal Party’s joint partnership in Malawi.

Contact Project Coordinator at DIPD, Mathias Parsbæk Skibdal: maps@dipd.dk

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