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| ![](                    |   |                                          |
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| ![](                    |   |                                          |
| media/image2.png){width |   |                                          |
| ="3.2180555555555554in" |   |                                          |
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| **Engaging Youth in the |   |                                          |
| Peace Process**         |   |                                          |
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| ##                      |   | October 2007 -- Nepali youth were both   |
|                         |   | perpetrators and victims during the      |
|                         |   | eleven-year armed insurgency, and during |
|                         |   | the April 2006 Uprising that sparked the |
|                         |   | peace process and the restoration of     |
|                         |   | democracy. The youth have been           |
|                         |   | marginalized from the current political  |
|                         |   | discourse. Yet, youth still expect the   |
|                         |   | opportunity to participate significantly |
|                         |   | in the processes launched by the signing |
|                         |   | of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement     |
|                         |   | (CPA) on November 21, 2006, including    |
|                         |   | the upcoming Constituent Assembly.       |
|                         |   |                                          |
|                         |   | With USAID/OTI support, the Association  |
|                         |   | of Youth Organizations Nepal (AYON)      |
|                         |   | launched a campaign on March 28, 2007 to |
|                         |   | positively engage youth in the peace     |
|                         |   | process in 25 Nepali districts. This     |
|                         |   | grant trained 126 youth on peace         |
|                         |   | building in five-day workshops,          |
|                         |   | including 46 females and members from    |
|                         |   | marginalized groups. The trained youth   |
|                         |   | then organized 25 district-level "Youth  |
|                         |   | Peace Dialogues" in their respective     |
|                         |   | districts with the participation of      |
|                         |   | 1,355 people, 508 of whom were female.   |
|                         |   | The dialogues were attended by           |
|                         |   | representatives from the government,     |
|                         |   | political parties, civil society, and    |
|                         |   | youth organizations. As part of the      |
|                         |   | grant also, through discussions among    |
|                         |   | the program's participants, 157 murals   |
|                         |   | were painted in public places and 3,000  |
|                         |   | posters were disseminated emphasizing    |
|                         |   | the role of youth in the peace process.  |
|                         |   | After the activities, AYON submitted a   |
|                         |   | memorandum and a draft action plan on    |
|                         |   | engaging youth in the peace process to   |
|                         |   | the Ministry of Education and Sports and |
|                         |   | to other national and district-level     |
|                         |   | stakeholders.                            |
|                         |   |                                          |
|                         |   | This activity has succeeded in creating  |
|                         |   | a wide network of youth organizations    |
|                         |   | who continue to work in close            |
|                         |   | cooperation with each other. Tangible    |
|                         |   | accomplishments to date made by involved |
|                         |   | youth include the resumption of District |
|                         |   | Development Committee (DDC) office       |
|                         |   | operations in Dhanusha District which    |
|                         |   | had halted due to disagreements between  |
|                         |   | government staff and constituents, and   |
|                         |   | the presentation of recommendations for  |
|                         |   | budget allocation to the DDC in Nuwakot  |
|                         |   | District. AYON remains active after the  |
|                         |   | completion of the activity.              |
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| ![](m                   | > |                                          |
| edia/image3.jpeg){width |   |                                          |
| ="2.3465277777777778in" | * |                                          |
| h                       | U |                                          |
| eight="1.74375in"}![](m | S |                                          |
| edia/image4.jpeg){width | A |                                          |
| ="2.3569444444444443in" | I |                                          |
| height=                 | D |                                          |
| "1.7673611111111112in"} | / |                                          |
|                         | N |                                          |
|                         | E |                                          |
|                         | P |                                          |
|                         | A |                                          |
|                         | L |                                          |
|                         | * |                                          |
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| *In August 2006, the    |   |                                          |
| U.S. Agency for         |   |                                          |
| International           |   |                                          |
| Development's Office of |   |                                          |
| Transition Initiatives  |   |                                          |
| (OTI) began a 2-year,   |   |                                          |
| \$15,000,000 program in |   |                                          |
| Nepal to bolster the    |   |                                          |
| current peace process,  |   |                                          |
| strengthen governance   |   |                                          |
| mechanisms, and support |   |                                          |
| positive, nonviolent    |   |                                          |
| community engage­ment in |   |                                          |
| the country's           |   |                                          |
| political, social, and  |   |                                          |
| economic future. The    |   |                                          |
| objectives of the       |   |                                          |
| program are to:*        |   |                                          |
|                         |   |                                          |
| 1.  *Increase access to |   |                                          |
|     information and     |   |                                          |
|     diversify public    |   |                                          |
|     debate on issues    |   |                                          |
|     critical to         |   |                                          |
|     political           |   |                                          |
|     transition, and*    |   |                                          |
|                         |   |                                          |
| 2.  *To increase the    |   |                                          |
|     effectiveness of    |   |                                          |
|     key political       |   |                                          |
|     transition          |   |                                          |
|     institutions.*      |   |                                          |
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|                         |   |                                          |
+-------------------------+---+------------------------------------------+
| ![](                    |   | *Contact: Gordon Shettle, OTI/ANE        |
| media/image5.png){width |   | Program Manager*                         |
| ="2.1493055555555554in" |   |                                          |
| height="0.25625in"}     |   | *e-mail: <gshettle@usaid.gov>;           |
|                         |   | telephone: (202) 712-1243*               |
|                         |   |                                          |
|                         |   | *Internet:                               |
|                         |   | [www.usaid.gov](http://www.usaid.gov/)   |
|                         |   | -- Keyword: OTI*                         |
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