The international day will be celebrated with the theme ‘Transforming education’, while Nepal will be using ‘Transforming education for entrepreneurship and innovation’ as the local theme.

According to Youth Ministry Vice-Chair Madhav Dhungel, the theme has been created with the aim to link youth with the national goal of promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and self-employment along with transforming education through the provision of quality and professional education.

A 201-member committee has been formed for the main ceremony with the coordination of Nepal Youth and Sports Minister Jagat Bahadur Sunar. Besides, a 17-member secretariat under Vice-Chair Dhungel has been formed to make the week-long event a successful one.

The event will be celebrated at Nepal Academy on August 12, 2019 with various programs where Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will be Chief Guest.

The programs to be held on International Youth Day 2019 Nepal include:

• Prime Minister Intelligent Award Announcement and Distribution
• Cultural Events
• Youth Dialogue Program
• Bagmati Clean-up Program
• Dialogue Program on Nepal Youth’s Condition, Possibilities and Opportunities in radio and TV

As per the 2068 BS national census, Nepal’s total population comprises of 40.3 percent youth.

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World Youth Skills Day History

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 18, 2014 to introduce World Youth Skills Day. It was started by Sri Lanka with support from other Asian developing nations, also known as G-77. The UN General Assembly then declared July 15, 2015 as World Youth Skills Day with consensus from all member countries.

World Youth Skills 2019 Goal

Today, the goal of World Youth Skills Day is to achieve better socio-economic conditions for youth and identify ways to address unemployment and underemployment in developing and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

The theme for this year is Learning to Learn for Life and Work.

Nepal’s Employment Scenario 2019

According to Nepal Labor Force Survey 2018-19, Nepal’s current unemployment rate is 11.4 percent. Following are the statistics on Nepal’s unemployed youth:

• Of the total Nepali unemployed youth, 511,000 are males and 397,00 females
• The unemployment rate for males in 10.3 percent and 13.1 percent for females
• Nepal has a high rate of Labor under utilization, which is 32 percent for males and 48.8 percent for females
• The work wage for men in Nepal is NPR 17, 809 per month and NPR 13, 630 for women, which is a difference of NPR 5,834
• Most employment opportunities in Nepal are available in the agriculture, forestry, fisheries, retail and wholesale businesses
• The percentage of Nepali women in high-level jobs is low 2 percent as men occupy 86.8 percent managerial level jobs
• Every year, 300,000 Nepalis migrate to foreign destinations for jobs
• Only 47 percent of the migrants who travel without official approval have Grade 10 certificate and 24.6 percent of them school dropouts after Grade 7
• 21 percent of them have dropped out of school after Grade 5

Fortunately, the Nepal Government has introduced Prime Minister Employment Program, which is slowly changing the job scenario in the country. Let’s hope that the employment situation in Nepal changes for the better with this initiative.

Also Read:

• Self Employment Ideas in Nepal

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Recently, the Nepal Labor, Employment and Social Security Ministry (MoLESS) has begun collecting various opinions from stakeholders including youth leaders from various political parties on the upcoming employment scheme.

Nepal Youth Leaders Opinions & Suggestions
Speaking at a recent survey program for youth leaders, Rashtriya Janata Party-Nepal Youth Leader Ranjeet Kumar Singh called the program a ‘first-of-its-kind’ program in Nepal, where millions of youth opt for foreign employment.

“Such schemes have been introduced in our neighboring countries, but never before in Nepal. In the absence of such government efforts, even educated people are migrating abroad and are forced to take up menial jobs,” said Singh.

He adds that the government should create jobs opportunities for the youth based on their geographical regions.

Similarly, Nepal Congress – Youth Wing Nepal Tarun Dal Uttam Chapagain suggested that the Nepal Government should give equal importance to vocational training under the program.

“Unemployed youths should be provided with skill-based training so that even uneducated people can have income opportunities and earn respect for what they do. As an agricultural country, the program should generate jobs in the farm sector,” said Chapagain.

In addition, Nepal Communist Party’s Youth Association Nepal (YAN) President Ramesh Poudel emphasized on the need for creation of a ‘Development Force’, which can be used for ‘big developmental projects in the country’.

“Such force should be developed under this program so that they get to work and contribute to nation-building. Also, various scattered programs of giving employment to youths should be merged into one,” adds Poudel.

Scope of the Employment Scheme
The ambitious project aims to create a minimum of 100,000 jobs in the country, per year and will engage Nepal unemployed youth in agriculture, forest & environment, animal husbandry and reconstruction, among the total 11 sectors.

MoLESS has also collaborated with Nepal private sector to generate employment in the aforementioned sectors, which will undertake prestigious projects including ‘National Pride Projects’.

“All Nepalis will have pride working under this common program, which is meant for everyone in the working age. Youth’s skill, energy and enthusiasm will be utilized in the country,” said Gokarna Bista,  Pointing that foreign employment should be an option and not a choice of compulsion.

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Interview by Savina Xavier

Nepal’s rapid development is proof of initiatives at the grass-root level. NGOs at Nepal are drivers of such change, their constant efforts have fueled progress in uplifting the marginalized and poorest of poor in the country.

Back to Life (Back-to-life.org), Nepal is one such organization that has been working to improve health care, infrastructure, education, skill sets and human resource (HR) engagement in the provisions of such services.

It has been successful in engaging key stakeholders in delivering its services and has made considerable progress in reducing maternal, neonatal and infant mortality rates.

Talking about the future of Nepal, it says that the country has a lot of scope and that it is on the right track in terms of development.

It identifies the youth of Nepal as instrumental in the process of taking Nepal to greater heights. The organization believes that Nepali youth have very useful skill sets that can be tapped by the Nepal Government through creation of inbound opportunities.

Nepali Sansar finds it pleasure in interacting with ‘Back-to-Life’, which shares its experiences of working in Nepal and being part of the country’s development. Here are some excerpts from the interview:

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Many people across the world have become victims to depression and they ultimately succumb to it. Celebrities, common man, children; there’s no exception.

Now Nepal has begun to see an alarming number of suicides caused due to depression.

According to Nepal Police, each day in Nepal 15 people commit suicide. The rising endemic is not restricted to people of a particular age.

Nepal Suicide Statistics:

• During FY 2017-18, Nepal recorded 2,854 males, 2,242 females and 240 children committed suicide.
• Similarly in the year 2016-17 5,131 people were reported of committing suicide
• Likewise, in FY 2016-17 4,705 people ended their lives

While it is noteworthy that the number of suicide cases in FY 2017-18 have decreased compared to the previous year, the numbers are still alarming.

Factors Leading to Suicide:
Nepali Psychologist Gopal Dhakal attributes depression to the increasing number of suicides.

“Suicide rates have gone up with the increase in the number of people suffering from mental health issues,” says Gopal Dhakal.

Adding further, he says, “There is cut-throat competition in every sector and people are running after material gains. Not all people succeed and those who fail become victims of depression and other mental issues,” he added.

Mita Rani Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor from Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital identifies lack of awareness on mental health as the main reason for the increasing number of suicides.

She says mental illness is the most common reason for people to commit suicide. Mental stress, severe health problems and financial problems contribute to suicide.

“Lack of awareness of mental health among people is leading many people to depression. Psychiatric care is rarely sought for people suffering from mental disorders. Many people suffer from depression as a result. If medical or psychiatric help is not sought immediately, such people may develop the tendency to commit suicide.”

She advices that people should openly talk about their mental health so that they can be saved in time. Family members play an important role in preventing suicide.

World Health Organization statistics say that 800,000 people commit suicide every year, across the world. Every 40 seconds, a person dies from suicide and what is more alarming is that every 3 seconds, people attempt suicide.

About 80% of people who committed suicide suffered with depression.

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With the theme #SafeSpacesForYouth, IYD 2018 called on the urgent need for creating a safe and secure platform for youth that can offer them space to express views and engage in key discussions and related activities across diverse platforms.

“Safe spaces ensure the dignity and safety of youth,” #UnitedNations said in a statement, adding that youth from diverse groups and those from outside the local groups should be assured of self-worth and respect.

“Youth from different race/ethnicity, gender, religious affiliation or cultural background may feel intimidated to freely contribute to the community. When youth have safe spaces to engage, they can effectively contribute to development, including peace and social cohesion,” reads an official release.

International Youth Day 2018: Nepal’s Case
Nepal is one country that holds high significance for youth with majority of its population covered by youngsters.

The country celebrated #IYD2018 on a grand scale with wide range of programs all across.

The #NationalYouthCouncilNepal organized the ‘National Youth Conference’ program with around 500 youth participants.

The event saw wide range of discussions on ‘Safe Spaces for Youth’ and ways to support #NepaliYouth in their path towards achieving the country’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“The Constitutional Assembly Election in 2017 opened avenues for young people to be in parliament. It is now our responsibility to make that participation meaningful by creating platforms for opportunities”, says Mohammad Istiyak Rai, Nepali Minister for #UrbanDevelopment.

On the occasion, the International Labor Organization gave away special awards to various Nepali youth for their excellence and active participation in developmental activities across the country.

Addressing the program, #ILONepal Director and acting UN Resident Coordinator Richard Howard lauded youth participation in the country’s developmental path.

“Creating safe space for youth is vital but doing so we need to ensure no youth is left behind. We are committed to create safer space for youth within the spirit of the SDGs & ensuring everyone has an equal representation on it”, says the #UNNepal Coordinator.

Speaking about Nepal ‘s Case, UN says that Nepal currently has the largest productive youth population compared to previous years.

“About 35 percent of the population is below the age of 15 while 57 percent are between the productive ages of 15-59 years and another 25 percent are expected to reach the working age within a decade based on population projections. There are more than six million adolescents, of whom about half are girls— one-fourth of the country’s total population. This is a huge opportunity,” says United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

#UNFPA considers this as a rare opportunity for Nepal and cautions that this window of opportunity might close in the next 20-30 years.

In this regard, it urged the country and its relevant partners to encourage more investment in #YouthDevelopment for maximizing the demographic dividend.

They can be a powerful force for progress if equipped with education, health and skills to realize their full potential, adds UNFPA.

“UNFPA will continue to focus on young people in Nepal, helping them participate in decisions affecting them, supporting the provision of comprehensive sexuality education, providing quality reproductive health services and strengthening their ability to advance human rights and development issues,” it said in an official release.

UNFPA has been working with the Government of Nepal and partners to empower young people and to enable them to become drivers of change.

Besides global aid organizations, Nepal has the Association of Youth Organizations Nepal (AYON) that acts as a common platform for the local youth population and in creating a collaboration among youth organizations in Nepal.

Over the years, #AYON worked with various local and global organizations for the development of Nepal society.

British Council Nepal, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (#ICIMOD), International Council on Management of Population Programmes (#ICOMP), International Labor Organization (ILO), Ministry of Local Development, National Planning Commission of Nepal, The Asia Foundation, UNFPA, #UNESCO Korea, #UNAIDSNepal and USAID-OTI are among them.

UN ‘Safe Spaces’ for Youth
UN defines four areas as key to youth participation in the development process.

They are:

• ‘Civic spaces’ allow youth to participate in governance issues
• ‘Public spaces’ give them the opportunity to take part in sports and other community-level activities
• ‘Digital spaces’ improve their scope beyond borders by offering them virtual access across borders
• ‘Physical spaces’, if planned well, offer them a platform to accommodate the needs of diverse groups especially of those vulnerable to marginalization or violence

Special global initiatives that support youth development across the world include:

• 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Goal 11 of this special program calls for creation of space for special provisions to encourage youth participation in sustainable & inclusive urbanization.
• New Urban Agenda (NUA): This program pitches for public spaces for youth to enable them to interact with family and have constructive inter-generational dialogue.
• World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY): A #UN program for youth for that emphasizes on the provision of ‘leisure activities’ as essential to the psychological, cognitive and physical development of youth.

“As more and more youth grow in a technologically connected world, they aspire to engage deeper in political, civic and social matters, and the availability and accessibility of safe spaces becomes even more crucial to make this a reality,” says UN.

International Youth Day marks the celebration of the role of youth in social development.

The UN General Assembly announced August 12 of every year as the International Youth Day in an announcement in 1999. The annual day marks the celebration of the role of youth (men and women) as key partners in safeguarding & promoting human rights and development.

The Day is also seen as an opportunity to increase awareness about the challenges and hardships of the youth, globally.

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The master’s degree program, a joint initiative of KU and the Institute for Integrated Development Studies in Dhulikhel, will be incorporated in humanities, management and law departments, effective from 2019. 

Speaking at the launch event, experts from various backgrounds expressed their opinions on the proposed program. 

In his address, Dr Mohan Man Sainju, former Vice-chairman of Nepal Planning Commission (NPC), said the local resources should be used accordingly and courses of this kind engage youth in policy making. 

Meanwhile, former Health Minister Gagan Thapa said there has been a need for interdisciplinary approach in social sciences and hoped that the program would fill the existing gaps and produce better policy makers to the nation.   

The local governments are in dire need of manpower with knowledge of public policy making. Local bodies should encourage their employees to study public policy, says Gagan Thapa. 

Lauding the initiative, the US Ambassador to Nepal Alaina B Teplitz also opined that the initiative would improve public policy dialogue in the country.  

 “Good public policy helps leaders to take better decisions,” she said, adding improving governance would is also an art that determines the country’s future. 

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Demographic dividend generally refers to the period, where a country witnesses decline in fertility and mortality rates.

In terms of demographic dividend, fertility in Nepal declined by 63 percent during 1976-2014 from 6.3 children per woman to 2.3, driven by public inclination towards having smaller families and better access to contraception.

Declining birth rate results in small size of youth-dependent population, thus freeing the working-age population to move for work.

The number of working Nepalese has surpassed the country’s total population and a similar trend is expected to continue till 2047.

Lack of Opportunities for Youth

However, Nepal has witnessed a big pool of young population aged 10-24 years because of demographic changes in the past decades. This group includes adolescents aged 10-19 years and youth aged 15-24 years.

As per the National Population and Housing Census 2011 of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), 32.8 percent of Nepalese comprised of adolescents and youths in 2011.

According to CBS statistics, the proportion of Nepali youth will remain above 25 percent until 2031.

This group of young population will add to the economic development of the country if provided with proper learning and work opportunities, noted the report.

However, finding jobs and migrating for employment remain a challenge for this young population group as most of them are living in rural areas.

In this regard, the report urges that investment in human development, targeting adolescents and youth are most critical to ensure opportunities for youth and spur innovation needed for a sustainable future.

The report noted that investment in education and healthcare should not be limited to men as 53 percent of the working Nepalese in the age group of 15-64 years are women.

“So, the opportunity to enrich the lives of young people, including males & females and enable them to expand their individual choices and shape an innovative & sustainable future is important,” says the report.

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