The Commonwealth Youth Programme, also known as CYP, is an international development agency working with young

people The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

between the ages of 15 and 29. Part of the

Commonwealth Secretariat The Commonwealth Secretariat is the main intergovernmental agency and central institution of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is responsible for facilitating co-operation between members; organising meetings, including the Commonwealth Heads of ...

, CYP is active in the Commonwealth's 54 member countries. CYP has a head office in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

with four centers in Africa ( Lusaka, Zambia), Asia (

Chandigarh, India Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the States of india, states of Punjab, India, Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Sivalik, Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders H ...

), the Caribbean (

Georgetown, Guyana Georgetown is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Guyana. It is situated in Demerara-Mahaica, region 4, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, at the mouth of the Demerara River. It is nicknamed the "Garden City of the Caribbean." It is ...

), and the Pacific ( Honiara, Solomon Islands). Currently, there are four regional directors and 16 program officers, plus support staff, working there.

About

The CYP's program of work is decided mainly by the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting. Funded by Commonwealth governments through annual pledges to a voluntary fund, CYP is not a funding agency and does not provide financial support to any other organization. CYP supports, and is supported by, a body of youth representatives called the Commonwealth Youth Caucus. The Youth Caucus meets at the national, regional, and pan-Commonwealth levels to advise the program. The Youth Caucus has a seat at the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting and helps to organize the Commonwealth Youth Forum, which meets prior to the

Commonwealth Heads of Government The Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOG) is the collective name for the government leaders of the nations with membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. They are invited to attend Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings every two years, ...

Meeting. The program was supported by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

in her role as head of the Commonwealth.

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

visited the Commonwealth Youth Programme Regional Centre for Africa in

Lusaka Lusaka ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was abo ...

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

, in September 2012 as part of her four-day official visit to the country to mark the Queen's

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

. In 2017, the

released a review of the Commonwealth Youth Program.

Activities

CYP provides government and youth-centered organizations with technical assistance in the areas of: * Enterprise/vocational training and microcredit * Youth participation in decision-making and youth policy * Professionalization and training for youth workers * Citizenship, peacebuilding, and

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

education * HIV/AIDS awareness and counseling * Information and Communications Technology * Democracy (through Commonwealth election observer missions) *

Youth mainstreaming Youth mainstreaming is a public policy concept. The Commonwealth of Nations describes it in this context: It is modeled on gender mainstreaming, which the United Nations defined in the 1990s as: Strategy Youth mainstreaming is a two-fold strate ...

Scope

All of CYP's work falls within The Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment (2007-2015), which is the Commonwealth's organizing framework for cooperation on youth affairs. Through the Plan of Action, Commonwealth Heads of Government have affirmed that "empowering young people means creating and supporting the enabling conditions under which young people can act on their own behalf, and on their own terms, rather than at the direction of others."

Youth Awards

The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work celebrate the contribution of young people to achieving global development goals. The awards, presented to Commonwealth citizens aged 15–29, showcase the work of outstanding young people who are leading initiatives ranging from poverty alleviation to peace building. Each year an outstanding entrant is named Commonwealth Young Person of the Year, with regional awards given for Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and Americas, Africa and Europe. The awards demonstrate to leaders and other policy-makers the importance of young people’s role in development. The awards also serve to inspire other young people to take action in their communities. Development work can be within any number of areas, such as skills training, arts and culture, environment protection, education, health and well-being, human rights, technology, sport, science, and many more areas. The Awards Program added a new region to give more visibility to young people across the Commonwealth. For the 2022 Awards, to mark the celebration of the

Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration in 2022 marking the Platinum jubilee, 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was the first time that any History of monarchy in the U ...

, Head of the Commonwealth, The Queen's Commonwealth Trust (QCT) has joined as a partner to offer a selected applicant two years of flexible funding of £20,000 a year, as well as coaching opportunities and organizational development support.

Partners

The Commonwealth Youth Programme works in partnership with a range of organizations, including * Commonwealth of Learning *

Commonwealth Foundation The Commonwealth Foundation (CF) is an intergovernmental organisation that was established by the list of Commonwealth heads of government, Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1966, a year after its sister organisation, the Commonwealth Secre ...

* Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council * The Royal Commonwealth Society * Commonwealth Policy and Studies Unit * UN (

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

, UN Youth Unit,

UNAIDS The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS; , ONUSIDA) is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The mission of UNAIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an ex ...

, UN Habitat,

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

, and

UNFPA The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies and protocols, increasing access to birth control, and leadin ...

) * CARICOM * 47 partner universities delivering youth work qualifications * A range of microcredit NGOs and development banks * The Body Shop of Australia

References

* Commonwealth Youth Programme Strategic Plan 2006-2008, Commonwealth Secretariat * Commonwealth Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment 2007-2015, Commonwealth Secretariat

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.thecommonwealth.org/ The Commonwealth Secretariat
Ninth Commonwealth Youth Forum 2013 :The youth identity; the Sri Lankan way
sundayobserver.lk
CHOGM in South Asia after 30 years: A great milestone in capacity building of Lanka’s youth skills
sundayobserver.lk
CHOGM 2013 in Sri Lanka: The Youth Parliamentary concept of Sri Lanka by M.H.M.N. Bandara
sundayobserver.lk
Regional Youth Centres
thecommonwealth.org Institutions of the Commonwealth of Nations Youth rights organizations Ageism