IN line with the inclusive development agenda, the United Nations in Zimbabwe has launched the UNited 4 Youth Inclusion Programme, an ambitious five-year inter-agency initiative designed to break barriers and open career pathways for young people, including those with disabilities.
The launch of the programme in Harare this Friday saw United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr Edward Kallon, reiterating that the world body is determined to ensure inclusion of young people in all spaces, including those with disabilities.
“The programme, which is a collaborative effort uniting UN agencies, the government, civil society, and the youth, is a commitment to make youth inclusion a moral and developmental priority. It represents our dedication under the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy to lead by example in providing accessible spaces, inclusive employment, and decision-making platforms open to everyone,” he said.
The Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Honourable Kudakwashe Mpamhanga noted how the Youth Empowerment Strategy set for launch in October this year, will be a game changer for young people in Zimbabwe.
“Implementation of policies is key to seeing all that we plan for coming to fruition. When the Youth Empowerment Strategy is launched later this year in October, it will help us to operationalise all the empowerment programmes that we have, and every ministry will be taken to task to ensure they include young people.”
Youths are appreciative of government efforts to empower them.
“It is encouraging because the government has been doing a lot to ensure we are empowered and now, the coming in of the Youth Empowerment Strategy gives us hope that the implementation of all programmes meant for us is going to change our lives for the better,” Chairperson of Harare Provincial Youth Forum, Mr Endridge Chapani said.
“As a young person with disability, I recognise the efforts being made by the government and its partners to include us in various empowerment programmes. Our hopes have been pinned on the Youth Empowerment Strategy because now implementation of all projects meant for us will be made easier,” disability activist, Miss Nokutenda Muzuva noted.
The UNited 4 Youth Inclusion programme aims to advance inclusive youth employment by integrating youth, particularly those with disabilities into the UN workforce.
The programme emphasises mentorship, training and career development.
