NEWS

• INTERESTED IN BEING A YOUTH4POLICY MIGRATION FELLOW? APPLY NOW BEFORE THE DEADLINE ON 30/03/2022. 

LINK: https://www.kas.de/en/web/uganda/single-title/-/content/call-for-applications-youth4policy-1

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The “Youth4Policy” is an initiative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung to enhance youth participation in governance and policy formulation in Uganda. The fellowship takes on a small number of highly qualified and committed young Ugandans who interact and work together on a regular basis in order to analyse policy issues and develop policy alternatives from the perspective of the young generation. The group members lead by example in the promotion of issue-based and constructive dialogue and debate, adhering to the guiding principles of tolerance and objectivity.

Last year's cohort consisted of 8 carefully selected and motivated young professionals who are passionate about policy discourses.

Check out the Youth4Policy Website here.

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BACKGROUND:

Given its current demographics, Uganda is an extremely young country in international comparison and with the high birth rate in the country the population will continue to grow significantly, and young people will make up a growing percentage of the Ugandan population. This development comes with a number of chances and challenges, and whether the chances will be exploited and the challenges be managed well depends heavily on the willingness and ability of political actors to ensure the successful involvement of the growing number of young people in the process of national development and in decision-making. In order to avert negative developments, future policies have to be designed in a way that they ensure sustainability and inter-generational justice.

Currently, the situation concerning the representation of the youth and the reflection of their interests in political decision-making is far from satisfactory. Despite a lot of promising and encouraging rhetoric - particularly in times of campaigning - the practical involvement of the youth is rather low and the political arena continues to be dominated by older generations. The interests of the younger (and coming) generations are often not adequately reflected in decision-making and in the design of important policies. Many young people are therefore frustrated about politics in the country or simply not interested at all. A large part of the bulge of young adults in the country is lacking perspectives and, for instance, employment opportunities - often despite good education.

At the same time, political debates are often characterised by focus on personalities, party competition, tactical and other considerations, instead of focussing on substantial issues and programmatic alternatives. Many discussions about policy choices are dominated by a purely confrontational, not constructive interaction between political actors. Furthermore, political parties and other groups and organisations in society are widely failing to clearly articulate the interests of the population (particularly the young generation) and to formulate alternative policies.