The European Union (EU), UNICEF, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched the Youth Power Hub Programme today, with the goal of empowering young people as key players in governance and development at both local and national levels.

The event, held at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, brought together youth representatives, civil society organisations, and notable guests, including the Minister of Gender, Youth and Social Development, Honorable Pitso Lesaoana, Ambassador of the European Union to Lesotho, Her Excellency Paola Amadei, UNICEF Lesotho Country Representative Deepak Bhaskaran, and IOM Head of Office Masoai Dennis.

Spanning from 2024 to 2029, the Youth Power Hub will actively involve young people in decision-making to strengthen citizen participation and build stronger, more inclusive communities.  The Youth Power Hub aims to reach 69,000 young people, including adolescent girls, young women and mothers, youth living with disability, young migrants, youth from LGBTIQ+ communities, those in the diaspora, rural youth, herd boys, street youth, and youth living with HIV/AIDS.

To achieve this goal, the Youth Power Hub will focus on strengthening the organisational and programming capacities of 27 youth-focused grassroots civil society organisations (CSOs) so they can influence change and speak out on issues of interest to them. It will also contribute to expanding opportunities for networking and collaboration among young people, and to collectively advocate for issues of common interest. Further, an online platform (https://www.unicef.org/esa/youth-power-hub) has been created for young people to connect digitally, share resources, and learn from each other. Ultimately, it is expected that the empowerment of youth-focused CSOs will lead to robust and dynamic engagement in policy and budget processes, sustained voicing of their views on development issues, and promotion of transparency and accountability. 

From today, thanks to the youth networking pitsos and other spaces created by the Youth Power Hub, the European Union Delegation and its implementing partners will regularly engage with young representatives from diverse backgrounds to share their perspectives and insights on policy, projects or processes, as part of a youth led advisory structure - Youth Sounding Board. Today, the young participants collectively engaged in a Youth Foresight exercise to convey their views on the Lesotho of the future to the decision makers present at the event, as a practical example of the dialogue that the project seeks to encourage.

Emphasising the importance of youth participation in decision-making, UNICEF Lesotho Country Representative, Deepak Bhaskaran stated “The Youth Power Hub comes at an opportune moment when the Government of Lesotho is also demonstrating its commitment to youth empowerment through various initiatives. Through the Youth Power Hub, young people have the opportunity to shape the world around them, which is crucial in terms of their feelings of ownership and responsibility in community life. This includes developing and gaining skills and tools to influence decision making, and more importantly to be empowered to take active charge of their lives and that of their communities. Further, they have an opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and abilities to deliver on innovative projects.” 

In its first year, the Youth Power Hub will establish a platform where grassroots CSOs working or planning to work on youth empowerment, disability inclusion, and gender equality can register and benefit from the Hub's opportunities. The second year will focus on empowering these grassroots organisations to manage programs financially and operationally, ensuring that youth empowerment efforts mainstream gender equality and disability inclusion.

In years three to five, grassroots CSOs will implement projects that empower youth to participate in national-level dialogue, local-level planning, budgeting, and monitoring, and to play an active role in policy dialogue and advocacy using a bottom-up approach.

“Young people are key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as they represent not only a growing share of the population in many of the EU's partner countries but also the driving force behind change for a sustainable future. Faced with inequalities, climate change, and global conflict, they demand faster, more courageous solutions and deserve to be heard and involved in decision-making. Through initiatives like the Youth Power Hub, we can empower young people to participate in local development processes and policy advocacy, ensuring that their voices shape the solutions to the challenges that affect their future.” stated the Ambassador of the European Union, H.E. Paola Amadei.

Youth-led civil society organisations, particularly those working with adolescent girls, young women and mothers, youth living with disability, young migrants, youth from LGBTIQ+ communities, those in the diaspora, rural youth, herd boys, street youth, and youth living with HIV/AIDS, are strongly encouraged to join the Youth Power Hub. To get involved, organisations can register at https://www.unicef.org/esa/youth-power-hub

About the project

The Youth Power Hub, a joint initiative of the European Union, UNICEF, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) aims to foster an inclusive, participatory, and accountable environment that empowers  young people in Lesotho to actively participate in decision-making processes, ensuring their voices are heard and their engagement is sustained over time. The project will be implemented in all ten districts of Lesotho targeting grassroots organisations at national and local levels. The EU contribution to the initiative is EUR 2,457,000 (LSL 45,083,000) open to additional contributions from other partners. The action is co-funded by UNICEF to the tune of USD 129,315 (LSL 2,372,818).

About the EU

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European countries[1]. It is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. It acts globally to promote the sustainable development of societies, environment, and economies so that everyone can benefit. It has been a partner of Lesotho since 1976.

About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.

About IOM

Working in over 171 countries, IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing support to migrants across the world, developing effective responses to the shifting dynamics of migration and providing advice on migration policy and practice.

[1] Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.