The Youth Development Delegates in the Arab Region programme is the result of a partnership between The Arab Youth Center (AYC) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Arab States. This employment program, in its first phase, will provide the opportunity for 11 Arab youth who are passionate about achieving the sustainable development goals to work for 2 years at the UNDP offices in their countries under the field of youth work  to achieve the common vision of both parties aimed at enabling the youth in the Arab region.

 

In the first edition of the Youth Development Delegates programme, eleven talented youth in the Arab region will be assigned by the Arab Youth Center and will closely work with the UNDP country offices in their countries. Once applicants are selected, they will be considered as UNDP staff with two-year service contract and will work in 10 UNDP country offices (Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Bahrain, Egypt, Somalia, Djibouti, Morocco and Tunisia . The recruited youth will exclusively work on projects specializing in the youth development in their countries as part of the UNDP’s Young Leadership Programme (YLP) with a focus on coordination, advocacy, planning and evaluation.

The youth delegate will work under the supervision and guidance of the UNDP Youth focal points both at the national and regional levels, and they will be an integral part of the regional program team.

In the 2nd cohort (date TBA), the program will assign 14 new delegates including 3 additional countries which are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Algeria.

Objectives

The Youth Development Delegates programme aims to:
  • 01

    Invest in Arab youth abilities to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in their countries.

  • 02

    Expose Arab youth to the UN working frameworks and involve them in the implementation of the national youth development plans in their countries.
  • 03

    Allow Arab youth to develop a network of regional relationships to enable them to collaborate with national, regional and international partners.
  • 04

    Provide Arab youth with an opportunity to tap into funding sources to turn their innovative ideas into realistic projects.

  • Who can be part of this program?

    Arab youth who meet the following criteria can apply:
    • Aged between 20 to 35 years.
    • Nationals of Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Somalia, Syria and Tunisia.
    • Have 2 to 3 years of experience.
    • Have the desire to acquire the required knowledge, skills and expertise that allows him/her to contribute to the sustainable development of their countries.
    The selection process will strictly follow the UN recruiting process and follow the requirement of their postings.

  • Why Be Part of This Programme?

    This programme will provide Arab youth with a unique opportunity to:

    • Join a regional network of exceptional youth

      Network with peers across the Arab region through a bi-annual regional training designed for the delegates and become part of the Arab Youth Center larger regional network.

    • Transform an innovative idea into a project

      Access AYC’s innovation fund and get an opportunity to transform your development idea into projects aiming to achieve the sustainable development goals. As the delegates can submit proposals for possible funding opportunities.

What to expect from this program?

  • Receive a two-year contract Recruited youth delegates will be considered as UNDP staff in their home country office and will receive a two-year contract and are expected to work on youth related projects run by UNDP within their countries.
  • Attend a regional event Recruited youth delegates will be invited by AYC to join an induction event at the beginning of the programme to introduce the 1st cohort of delegates and to obtain an understanding of the work they have been assigned to perform. Similarly, a graduation ceremony will be organized by AYC to celebrate the delegates’ success.
  • Report to AYC Each delegate must submit a final project, paper, or report related to youth in their countries and relevant to the work they have done with the UNDP to AYC. This deliverable is considered a requirement for graduation from the programme.