Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – UNICEF and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation on behalf of the Swiss Government signed an agreement to support the Youth and Child-Friendly Local Governance initiative in Uzbekistan.

The Swiss government has allocated almost 400 thousand US dollars to implement this initiative in 6 pilot cities of Uzbekistan in 2022. The cities will be selected in Andijan, Fergana, Navoi, Surkhandarya, Khorezm regions and the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

“According to official statistics, 63% of the total population in Uzbekistan are young people by 35 years old, illustrating how important is to ensure child- and youth-friendly policymaking in the country. Therefore, the Embassy of Switzerland is happy to support the initiative of UNICEF and national partners to strengthen the capacity of local authorities in inclusive decision-making through interaction with youth,” said Mr. Konstantin Obolensky, the Ambassador of Switzerland to the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The funds allocated by the Swiss Government will be used to increase the capacity of the local authorities in participatory planning and implementation of programmes, allocation of resources, and monitoring their activities with the engagement of children and youth. Functional platforms for youth engagement will be established at the local level by strengthening young people’s skills in active participation and social innovation.

“Children and young people have the right to be heard and to influence matters that affect them. When children and young people contribute to social change, they build a better future for themselves and contribute to the prosperity of the entire communities”, said the head of Representative of UNICEF Country Office in Uzbekistan Munir Mammadzade. "The implementation of the UNICEF global initiative in Uzbekistan with the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation will contribute to the systematic approach in planning and allocating resources for and together with the youngest citizens," he noted.

“We do see this important pilot on promoting child and youth-friendly governance initiated by UNICEF in close partnership with Yuksalish and the Youth Agency, as well as the Ministry of Justice as a promising start to work jointly in particular inclusive participation and accountability in Uzbekistan», said Rahel Boesch, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland.

By the end of 2022, an assessment of the impact of this initiative will be carried out and an action plan for scale-up of the initiative throughout the Republic will be developed. Top three out of six selected cities will be granted the title of the Youth and Child-Friendly Cities.

The “Youth and Child Friendly Local Governance” initiative will provide a systematic approach to the participation of youth and children in Uzbekistan in government decision-making, development and implementation of actions on issues directly related to their well-being at grass-root level. Ultimately, this initiative should serve as a strategic mechanism for the state youth policy of the Republic of Uzbekistan” said Bobur Bekmurodov, Chairman of the “Yuksalish” National Movement.