CHIANG MAI, THAILAND, 8 April 2003 - Children and young people in Asia are facing unprecedented health risks from HIV/AIDS and other diseases due to the rapid spread of amphetamine-type drug abuse, UNICEF warned today.

Speaking at the International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm, Robert Bennoun, UNICEF Regional Advisor on HIV/AIDS, highlighted an urgent need for more effective and coordinated policies to tackle the growing problem.

“We are witnessing a human tragedy unfolding at an alarming pace affecting our children and young people,” Mr. Bennoun said.

Worldwide, young people between the ages of 15 and 24 account for the majority of new HIV/AIDS infections. Intravenous drug use accounts for much of the infection. And recent research has shown users of amphetamine-type substances are increasingly injecting their drugs of choice.

Asia is home to approximately 33 million users of amphetamine-type substances. Approximately two-thirds live primarily in Thailand, the Philippines, Japan and Taiwan. Children and young people account for the majority of new users.

Mr Bennoun said programmes aimed at preventing drug use should be complemented with those to reduce the risk to young people presently using drugs.

“Incarcerating young people in detention centres or their equivalent only serves to split families and communities with no evidence of effective results,” he said.

Indeed, the victims of drug abuse by young people are many. Families witness the cycle of destruction. Communities lose valuable human resources. Schools and universities lose potential scholars.

But it is the individual young person who loses most, Mr. Bennoun said. “That short but invaluable window of opportunity - that eagerness and ability to learn and to excel - is at best interrupted and at worst destroyed by drug use and closed for good,” he said.

UNICEF is developing global, regional and national strategies to deal with this growing threat to young people, through its Life Skills initiatives, integrating awareness and prevention programmes both in and out of schools.

Children and young people have a right to information, skills and services to help protect themselves from the harm associated with drugs. And UNICEF is calling for an overall increase in investment in education, community services and parental support to better protect young people from drugs.

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For more information, please contact:

Patrick McCormick, UNICEF Media, Bangkok, Tel: (662) 356 9407
Allan Dow, UNICEF Media, Chiang Mai, Tel: (669) 891 5003
Liza Barrie, UNICEF Media, New York, Tel: 212) 326-7593

CHIANG MAI, 10 April 2003 – UNICEF is calling for changes in the way drug treatment programmes care for young people with drug addiction problems.

“It is time we looked at young people who use drugs as human beings, in need of support and not simply ‘drug addicts’ in need of correction,” said Robert Bennoun, UNICEF Regional Advisor on HIV/AIDS.

Mr. Bennoun made the comments at the 14th International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm. More than 800 delegates, including epidemiologists and leading narcotic experts from around the world, are attending this five-day event.

Across Asia the use of amphetamine-type substances is on the rise. These drugs, including metamphetamines, are now the drugs of choice among young people who use drugs. The users of these drugs are getting younger and the way they self-administer the drugs is changing too, says UNICEF.

“There is research suggesting a link between amphetamine use and increased vulnerability and risk behaviors, including the inherent risk of exposure to HIV/AIDS,” said Mr. Bennoun. “Unless society seeks to better understand why these young people are using drugs the rates of infection through the sharing of needles and other unsafe practices associated with their drug-taking will lead to a rise in HIV/AIDS and other diseases.”

UNICEF sponsored young delegates from several Southeast Asian countries to attend the Conference – many who are recovering from years of drug abuse.

The young delegates told the conference that attempts by society to rehabilitate them are not working, primarily because the underlying issue of drug addiction is not being addressed.

The number of young people using drugs is steadily increasing, and UNICEF says the advice of young people who use drugs must be acted upon to reverse the trend.

“There are many myths about why young people use drugs,” said Joyce Djaelani-Gordon, a UNICEF-sponsored treatment expert from Indonesia. “Many think young people get their drugs from dealers, when in fact they get their drugs from their friends. That’s how it begins – they tried it, they liked it, they got hooked.

A study conducted by Djaelani-Gordon’s treatment centre in Bogor, Indonesia reported 86% of young people who used drugs obtained their first drugs from friends. And more than two-thirds of them consumed their drugs either at school or places where young people gathered.

The UNICEF-sponsored youth delegates said one of the many reasons so many of them used drugs was to escape the pressures they faced at home. “Society doesn’t accept young people who do drugs, so young people start to feel like they have no value… so they want to go back to drugs,” said Weerayut.

For more information, please contact:

Patrick McCormick, UNICEF Media, Bangkok, Tel: (662) 356 9407
Allan Dow, UNICEF Media, Chiang Mai, Tel: (669) 891 5003
Liza Barrie, UNICEF Media, New York, Tel: 212) 326-7593

Kathmandu, Nepal, 4 February 2003 - Speaking at a meeting of South Asian governments today, two United Nations leaders declared that AIDS was stalking South Asians and warned that the region has only a narrow window of opportunity for turning back the disease.

Immediate action can prevent at least 5 million new HIV infections by 2010, and successfully begin to turn back the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the South Asia region, said Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). “Delay in preventing the further spread of HIV/AIDS will only aggravate the epidemic and reverse South Asia’s expected economic and social progress” Dr Piot added.

“South Asia stands at what epidemiologists call the ‘tipping point’ in the trajectory of disease,” said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy. “Despite generally low prevalence levels, it is the most-affected region in the world, after sub-Saharan Africa, in terms of numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS. As in many other parts of the world, it is the region’s young people, on whom the future depends, who are particularly vulnerable to the disease,” Bellamy stressed.

They were speaking at a high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS — “Accelerating the momentum in the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Asia.” The meeting was organized by UNAIDS and UNICEF, The United Nations Children’s Fund on 3-4 February 2003.

The participants — ministers, parliamentarians, religious leaders, young people and people living with HIV/AIDS from the region — have gathered in Kathmandu to chart the course for South Asia’s battle against HIV/AIDS.

“It is time for leaders in South Asia to speak out about HIV/AIDS. One of the most serious obstacles is the silence and stigma surrounding the disease”, said Dr Nafis Sadik, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for AIDS in Asia. “Every country and community in the region needs public debate and open discussion. Let us first of all be frank, and let us give a lead to others”.

“Although the challenge is enormous, there are many examples in the region of communities mobilizing to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS,” said Dr Piot. In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, for example, sustained prevention efforts have resulted in high awareness levels among the general population. Focused interventions have also led to significant behaviour change among female sex workers, their clients, and among young people.

But the unmistakable signs of an expanding epidemic exist throughout the region. In Kathmandu, HIV rates among injecting drug users skyrocketed, from under 2% to 50%, between 1991 and 1997, mostly among young people. According to the World Bank, over 95% of 15-19 year-old Bangladeshis do not know a single method of HIV prevention. A Sri Lanka study among 9th graders found that 63% could not name a single mode of HIV transmission and 75% could not identify a single mode of HIV prevention.

“Winning the fight against HIV/AIDS will hinge on overcoming the poverty, illiteracy and gender inequities that feed the epidemic,” said the UNICEF chief. “We must ensure that every child is in school, especially girls and those most at risk. National education systems are critical to providing the knowledge and skills that can save a generation from AIDS.”

At the 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on AIDS the governments of South Asia joined other world leaders in pledging that at least 90% of young people will have access to HIV prevention education by 2005. However, recent surveys show that that South Asia is far from achieving that goal.

Speaking on behalf of the young people Mr. Sudip Pokharel from Nepal said, “We young people assert our rights to participation in HIV/AIDS programme design and implementation. We commit ourselves to form our own organizations and networks that will work towards educating children, young people and even adults about our rights, especially our right to be protected from HIV/AIDS. We and our governments must work together to ensure monitoring and evaluation of the work done in involving children and young people.”

Participants at the regional meeting are expected to adopt, “The Kathmandu Call Against HIV/AIDS in South Asia: accelerating actions and results’, which will reiterate the commitment already made for the immediate implementation of a broader HIV/AIDS care and prevention and care agenda in the region. The Kathmandu Call reaffirms the goals of both the UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS and the Special Session on Children and calls for greater accountability and monitoring of results.

According to UNAIDS, at the end of 2001, 4.1 million people were already living with HIV/AIDS in South Asia. India, with 3.97 million people living with HIV, is second only to South Africa in the total number of people infected. “In countries that have clamped down on spiralling infection rates, the single factor that made the greatest difference remains visible and vocal leadership by individuals invested with public trust,” Bellamy said. “In the face of the HIV/AIDS crisis, leadership means breaking through the silence surrounding the disease, and taking personal responsibility for driving the political and social process that builds a protective environment for the prevention, treatment and care of people living with, and affected by HIV/AIDS. It means holding yourself personally accountable for doing everything in your power to safeguard young people, who represent our collective future.”
For more information contact:

UNICEF

Robert Tyabji, Regional Communication Adviser,(+977) 9810 40961 and Sudhamshu Dahal (+9771)417082.
UNAIDS

Michael Hahn, Country Programme Adviser, Kathmandu Nepal, (+977)981025379.

Akhila Shivdas, (+91 11) 2629 2787 or 2622 9631.

You may also visit the UNAIDS website for more information about the programme (http://www.unaids.org).

Geneva / New York, 30 May 2003 – UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy challenged leaders from the world’s richest nations meeting at the G8 summit next week to summon the collective leadership, resources and political will needed for a “tide-turning approach” to the global AIDS crisis. She said they would otherwise be held accountable for allowing millions more people – increasingly children and young people – to needlessly suffer and die under their watch.

Heads of government from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union meet on 1-3 June in the French Alps. They will tackle issues such as African development, terrorism, non proliferation, and the global economy. But the signing on Tuesday of the US White House’s $15 billion emergency AIDS bill raises the ante for other major donor nations.

“The $15 billion could have huge impact for the 14 African and Caribbean nations it is meant to reach,” Bellamy said. “But the overwhelming majority of all people living with HIV or AIDS today – 95 per cent of them - have absolutely no access to treatment or care. For them, HIV is a death sentence.”

“And in three countries not covered under the White House plan – Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, a third of all young women between the ages of 15 and 24 are HIV-positive,” Bellamy added. “To corner the virus, all countries – rich and poor –must step up to the plate. And the global response must focus on children and young people – because they’re hardest hit, and because their choices will determine the course of the epidemic.”

Prevalence rates are lowest among children between 5 and 14 years of age, Bellamy said. Because the spread of HIV depends mostly on the decisions that successive waves of children make as they reach adolescence and throughout their lives, the global response needs to ensure that they are fully equipped with the wherewithal to make the healthy, informed decisions that don’t allow for infection. “Young people are at greatest risk, but they also offer our greatest hope for reining in the epidemic,” Bellamy said.

“To prevent infection, their decisions need to be grounded on sound information, and the ability to translate this knowledge into safe and healthy choices. This can only happen if young people have ‘life skills’, meaning the ability to handle real life situations, especially those involving behavioural choices related to relationships, sex and drugs. The greatest gains will occur where young people have access to youth-friendly, gender-sensitive health services, and a protective and supportive legal, social and familial environment,” Bellamy added. “This won’t only affect prevalence rates among young people – it’ll also slow the rate of transmission between parents and infants.”
Everyday, Bellamy said, almost half the people newly infected with HIV are between 15 and 24 years old – six thousand new infections each day, or about four a minute. Young girls are hardest hit: in sub-Saharan Africa, two-thirds of newly-infected 15- to 19-year-olds are female. In the most affected countries, the ratio is five or six girls aged 15 to 19 for every boy infected in that age group.

But in areas where the spread of HIV/AIDS is declining, it is primarily because young men and women are being given the tools and the incentives to prevent infection in the first place, Bellamy emphasized. “We’ve seen remarkable progress among groups of young people in countries like Uganda, Zambia, Cambodia and Brazil, among others.”

UNICEF said that schools are the most effective tool for curbing infection. “Education can empower young people – especially girls – with a strong foundation of knowledge, skills and confidence needed to protect themselves and their communities. Education can chip away at the fear, stigma and discrimination that keep young people from seeking voluntary counselling, testing and treatment. And only education can give young people the economic and social capabilities to thrive in a more equal world,” Bellamy said.

That is why UNICEF is challenging governments, local leaders, teachers and young people to help transform schools and education systems into hubs of resources and enterprise in the battle against HIV/AIDS — centred not only on reading and writing, but on preventing the spread of the disease while supporting those affected by it.

Bellamy noted that the international community is in agreement about what needs to be done to curb HIV, and has even developed a “road map” with time bound goals and strategies set out in consensus documents signed by the majority of the world’s countries. The Declaration of Commitment, the World Fit for Children Outcome Document, and the Millennium Development Goals commit governments to actions towards meeting the challenge of stopping, or reversing the spread of HIV by 2015.

But money and action are urgently needed, Bellamy stressed – at least $15 billion per year, according to UN estimates. “In just over 20 years, the epidemic has lopped off half a century of development gains in some countries. Many communities are so stretched they can’t care for the millions of children who’ve been orphaned or made extremely vulnerable by AIDS, much less protect them from the risk of infection,” Bellamy said.

“HIV is central to the achievement of almost all development goals. Reneging on promises, diverting funds, or holding back desperately needed resources, will mean massive failure not only with respect to HIV/AIDS, but across our whole development agenda,” Bellamy said. ”We nurture the threats of the future through inaction today. The course of HIV/AIDS and its links to human security will depend on whether we protect the world’s children and young people from the epidemic and its impact.”
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UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, foundations, businesses, and governments. Contributions to UNICEF’s ongoing work to prevent HIV/AIDS can be made at http://www.supportunicef.org/

For further information please contact :
Liza Barrie, Senior Communications Adviser, HIV/AIDS, New York: (1-212) 326-7593; lbarrie@unicef.org
Alfred Ironside, Media Chief, New York: (1-212) 326-7261; aironside@unicef.org
Marixie Mercado, UNICEF Media, New York: (1-212) 326-7133; mmercado@unicef.org
Wivina Belmonte, UNICEF Geneva: (41-22) 909-5509; wbelmonte@unicef.org

Landmark workshop charts new directions in juvenile justice in Iraq

AMMAN, JORDAN, 28 September 2004: Senior members of the Iraq government reaffirmed Tuesday that young Iraqis who come into conflict with the law must have their rights respected in accordance with international standards and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“This workshop marks a crucial step forward,”  said UNCIEF Representative, Roger Wright.   “When young people receive just treatment under the law they are more likely to respect the law.  Injustice often creates a breeding ground for resentment that can lead to further law-breaking and aggression.”  He reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to assisting the Iraqi authorities, communities and families to ensure the rights of all children and young people are respected.

H.E. Dr. Bakhtiar Ameen, Minister for Human Rights, led several high-level delegations who were taking part in the 3-day workshop supported by UNICEF that has resulted in a plan of action for improving juvenile justice in Iraq.

Other high-level officials participating in the workshop included Dr. Noori Jafar Al-Lateef, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Dr. Aiden Kh Khader, Deputy Minister of Interior, Dr Ghazi Ebraheem Al-Janabi, from the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Kamal H. Alou, who is Head of the Iraq Bar Association, and Ms. Safiaya Al Suhail who was representing the Minister of Women’s Affairs.

H.E. Dr. Bakhtiar Ameen said, “We have pledged our commitment to ensure that young Iraqis that come into conflict with the law will have their rights respected.”   He went on to outline key rights for such juveniles, including the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, the right to remain silent, the right to legal assistance and counsel, to have a parent or guardian present, for juveniles to only be denied freedom as a last resort and for the shortest possible time, and to be kept separately from adults.

The almost 40 participants attending the workshop also outlined the difficulties and risks faced by juveniles in the current highly insecure environment in Iraq.

Statement by Participants in the 3-Day Workshop on Juvenile Justice in Iraq

The participants:

• Reaffirm the Convention on the Rights of the Child which has been ratified by the Republic of Iraq and is therefore an integral part of the Iraq Legislation, and to work towards ensuring the best interests of juveniles in all measures and procedures.
• To continue to work towards the application of international standards related to juvenile justice in order to ensure adequate protection for Iraqi juveniles, especially with regard to standards covered by :
  - The United Nations Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (the Beijing Rules),
  - The United Nations Rules for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (the Riyadh Guidelines) and
  - The United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty (the Havana Rules)
• To uphold the rights of Iraqi juveniles in conflict with the law, with particular regard to the following:
  - Separation from adults
  - Presumption of innocence until proven guilty
  - Right to remain silent
  - Right to legal assistance and counsel
  - Right to the presence of a parent or guardian
  - Right to confront and cross examine witnesses
  - Right to appeal to a higher authority at all stages of proceedings
  - Protection of privacy of juveniles with their records kept strictly confidential and closed to third parties
  - Protection against torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
  - Use denial of freedom as a last resort and for the shortest possible period of time
  - Enhance social inquiry reports and make them indispensable for juveniles’ legal proceedings
  - Ensure that capital punishment is not imposed on any juveniles, nor life imprisonment
  - Ensure that each case is from the outset handled expeditiously, without unnecessary delay
  - Ensure that female juveniles receive special attention as to their personal needs. Their fair treatment shall be   ensured.
  - Ensure the right to free assistance of an interpreter if the child cannot understand or speak the language  used.
• Juveniles in institutions shall also receive care, protection and all necessary assistance – social, educational, vocational, psychological, medical and physical – that they may require because of their age, sex and personality and in the interest of their wholesome development.
• All Iraqi Juveniles should benefit from the above-mentioned protection at all times and should be covered by a consistent, independent and specialized juvenile justice system, according to the general principles and provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has become an integral part of the Iraqi legislation after ratification, and the provision of the Iraqi Juvenile Care Law of 1983.

For more information please contact:

Sara Cameron, UNICEF Iraq, + 079 650 5006, scameron@unicef.org

GENEVA, 8 April 2005 – UNICEF and the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) are pleased to announce the launch of a new formal alliance to promote the participation of young people in decision-making processes at all levels (global, regional and local).  The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was held at the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe in Geneva, Switzerland.  The headquarters for WOSM are based in Geneva.

UNICEF and WOSM will work together to help equip young people with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute in the building of a more peaceful world.  Joint initiatives will include the Scouts’ Gift for Peace project, the use of internet technology for youth exchange through the websites “Voices of Youth” (UNICEF) and “Youth of the World” (WOSM), the promotion of child-friendly education and life-skills to fight HIV/AIDS and roll back malaria and special events such as the WOSM Centenary Celebration (2007) and regional and worldwide jamborees.

Scouts participating in the ceremony asked Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF, her opinions on the current direction of youth participation.  Bellamy emphasized the need to focus on the potential of adolescents, not just their problems.  A Girl Scout in her own childhood, Bellamy also remarked that the scout experience gave her confidence and skills which have helped her throughout her life.

Eduardo Missoni, Secretary-General of WOSM, spoke of the importance of this new MoU as a tool to use the powers of each organization to mobilize young people in education for peace and tolerance.

WOSM and UNICEF have a long history of collaboration worldwide. Activities have included campaigns and projects for the elimination of polio, oral dehydration therapy, community development, sanitary latrines, life-skills based education, girls’ education, and fighting HIV and AIDS.

WOSM is one of the largest youth organizations in the world, representing more than 28 million scouts in 215 countries and territories and is committed to helping young people develop their full potential as individuals and active members of their communities.

For more information, please contact:

Monique Thormann, +41-22-909-5730, mthormann@unicef.org

“Discrimination against indigenous people in Latin America is a structural problem and the key to tackle it is to overcome the enormous inequalities in this region,” stated the UNICEF Regional Director.

MADRID, July 7, 2005 - More than 80 indigenous children and adolescents from 17 Latin American countries are meeting here today and tomorrow to discuss their “problems and exchange ideas and solutions to resolve them,” in the words of 11-year-old Jessica Peñafiel, from the Quechua people of Ecuador, during the opening ceremony. The conclusions of the meeting will be reflected in a Final Declaration and presented at the Ibero-American Ministerial Conference on Children and Adolescents, to be held in September in León, Spain.

Juan Pablo de Laiglesia, General Secretary of the International Spanish Cooperation Agency (AECI) opened the meeting, followed by Nils Kastberg, Regional Director of UNICEF for Latin America and the Caribbean; Francisco González-Bueno, President of the UNICEF National Committee in Spain; José Juan Ortiz Bru, Regional Adviser on Indigenous Children and Adolescent’s Rights, and Otilia Lux, Representative of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

“We call out to all the energies of nature; sun, moon, earth, water, volcanoes and mountains to join us and guide us toward the success of this meeting that has gathered us here on this day.” These words, part of a Mayan ceremony, kicked off the meeting that will end tomorrow in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain, who will participate in the session on Intercultural Bilingual Education.

“Discrimination against indigenous people in Latin America is a structural problem and the key to tackle it is to overcome the enormous inequalities in this region,” stated Nils Kastberg, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean during the inauguration of the meeting. He added that “we have a debt that is not only from the past, but also from the present.” An estimated 40-50 million indigenous people live in Latin America, representing 10% of the population. Income levels, as well as human development indicators (education, health, and access to water and sanitation), demonstrate that the indigenous population is lagging way behind the non-indigenous population.

Juan Pablo de Laiglesia, General Secretary of the International Spanish Cooperation Agency (AECI) stated that “cooperation with indigenous groups is a major priority for the Spanish government. They are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable since their poverty not only consists in lack of fulfillment of their basic needs, but also a lack of recognition of their individual and collective rights.”

Francisco González-Bueno, President of the UNICEF National Committee in Spain, urged the participating children and adolescents to take action: “Our obligation is to make the rights embraced by Governments a reality. It’s essential that you know your rights in order to be able to demand then, since only rights that are claimed are fulfilled.”

The emotions and joy of the opening ceremony were tarnished by this morning’s attacks in London. “We are devastated by the news of what has happened in London. We express our deep sorrow and our condolences to all those who have suffered, and show solidarity with the victims and the children and adolescents who have been affected directly or indirectly,” declared Kastberg.

Some 100 indigenous leaders from the Latin American region are participating in the meeting, together with representatives from the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, members of several UN agencies and representatives from the Spanish International Cooperation Agency (AECI).

The meeting is organized by the UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Panama City, with assistance from AECI and the UNICEF National Committee in Spain.

For further information, please contact:

Elena Crego, Communications Officer, UNICEF Spain.
E-mail: ecrego@unicef.esTel. (34) 91 378 95 58. Mobile: (34) 629 47 63 80

Belén Barbero, Press Officer, UNICEF Spain.
E-mail: bbarbero@unicef.es Tel. (34) 91 378 95 58. Mobile: (34) 609 16 00 51

María Blanco, Communications, Regional Office of UNICEF for Latin America and the Caribbean.
E-mail: mblanco@unicef.es Tel. (34) 666 48 68 18

AMMAN, 12 August 2008 - The Middle East and North Africa is witnessing an unprecedented “youth boom” with more than half of the population of the region below the age of 24. A strong growth in fertility rate, peaking at three per cent per year in the 1980s and a declining infant and child mortality rate contributed to this trend.

“This demographic phenomenon represents a potential human resource asset for the region, provided the countries concerned have the right strategies,  policies and allocate the much-needed resources,” said Sigrid Kaag, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “We have to make best use of this window of opportunity now,” she added.

The overall share of youth in MENA is expected to peak at 100 million by 2035, declining thereafter. Currently, one out of five persons in the region is between the ages of 15 and 24, which is the UN Youth bracket.

The “Youth Boom” has yet to be translated into significant human, material and economic gains for youth or for the region as a whole. The Middle East and North Africa has very high rates of unemployment, and its youth account for half of the region’s unemployed. The professional opportunities for women are even less.

Unemployment makes youth vulnerable to an array of risks and threats, ranging from poverty to risky behaviour, and from loss of self-esteem to, in certain instances, recourse to extreme violence. This underscores the importance of creating a linkage between the education system and the requirements of the labour market.

Youth integration and participation

Efforts have multiplied in the region lately, to channel the promise of youth into tangible, quality deliverables. Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan, UNICEF’s Eminent Advocate for Children has amongst one of her many initiatives, spearheaded education reform and encouraged youth focused investment.

UNICEF’s contribution to youth participation at the global level includes an active role in the Junior 8 (J8) summits, the parallel summits to the G8 event. Girls and boys from Yemen, Algeria and Iraq represented the region in some of the most recent summits, sharing their views and recommendations on regional and world issues.

At regional level, UNICEF contributes to youth participation and empowerment by, among others, promoting child municipality councils and supporting youth centres. It also coordinates an interactive youth website (http://www.unicef.org/voy/arabic) and entices more involvement between youth and media. UNICEF will, for the first time, be awarding four prizes in the categories of TV, Radio, Print and Internet for the best four journalists covering youth issues this year.

UNICEF is also establishing partnerships with the private sector and academic institutions in the region, to ensure better opportunities for the region’s youth.

“Adolescents and youth are agents of change. Their active role and participation at all levels of society will help achieve progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and the Millennium Declaration,” Kaag concluded.

About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.  The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.  UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

For further information please contact

Abdel-Rahman Ghandour, Regional Chief of Communication, UNICEF MENA-RO, Telephone: +9626 550 2407, Mobile: +96279 700 4567
E-mail: arghandour@unicef.org

Golda El-Khoury, Regional Advisor on Youth, UNICEF MENA-RO, Telephone: + 962 6 5502412, Mobile: +96279 676 1112, E-mail: gelkhoury@unicef.org

Wolfgang Friedl, Communication Specialist, UNICEF MENA-RO, Telephone: +9626-5502-422, Mobile: +96279-573-2745 , E-mail: wfriedl@unicef.org