NAYCOD

The world today has the largest generation of young people in history with approximately 1.8 billion between the ages of 10 and 24 years and currently Uganda has the second youngest population in the world with over 78% below 30 years. In 2015 the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aka the Global Goals as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity while leaving no one behind. Many young people are already driving transformative change, and more are poised to do so, although deep challenges remain.

Progress has been uneven with many young people across the globe still experiencing interlocked forms of discrimination, limited inclusion, and high levels of poverty, limited access to health systems, quality educational opportunities and decent jobs among others. UNFPA 2014 confirmed that healthy, educated, productive and fully engaged young people can help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and are more resilient in the face of individual and societal challenges and their knowledge, reach and innovative solutions are crucial if sustainable development is to be realized. Our priority is to ensure that no young person is left behind and they can contribute towards sustainable development without discrimination or hindrance.

Young people’s involvement is very key if the call for participation, inclusion, accountability and revitalized global engagement embedded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to be achieved. According to the UNDP 2017 report on SDGs and youth, achieving the 2030 Agenda will require strong partnerships between young people and all stakeholders so that the challenges faced by youth are addressed, their contributions recognized and they are included at all levels of decision making.

The National youth convention on Sustainable Development is a high level national annual event discussing the role and strategies of positioning young people in national development and it brings all major key actors in Uganda including leaders from government, civil society, religious and cultural backgrounds, youth leaders, development Partners, parents among others. Young people from different backgrounds and ethnicities in Uganda come together to learn, share and network with different experts.