Thought Series First Edition — 3. Why is Youth Inclusion Important?
Tags: Africa, Youth, Inclusion, Includovate, Social

Host: Kanika Joshi

Panelists: Racha Amatti, Hannah Lemma, Biqila Hirpa

2 February 2021

Background

Why is Youth Inclusion Important?

Inclusion is a controversial issue by itself. After Ban Ki Moon declared “Leave no one behind,” inclusion became a developmental buzzword. As has been mentioned previously by Dr. Kristie Drucza, many who discuss inclusion skip over its complexity, sometimes even skipping over the inclusion of certain groups.

Youth inclusion is one of those overlooked topics. In this webinar, the third episode of Includovate’s “Thought Series,” a panel of Includovate researchers set out to examine and discuss this issue.

This webinar was hosted by Kanika Joshi, who comes with experience in youth inclusion from her time at United Nations SDSN Youth. Kanika is now the Head of Partnerships and Communications at Includovate. The webinar began with Kanika’s brief intro to youth inclusion by using contemporary narratives using media highlights. She shared general informative graphics about the issue and talked about the challenges.

Then the stage was given to Hanna Lemma, who is a feminist researcher at Includovate. Hanna first gave a short introduction to social inclusion, before focusing on youth inclusion and its importance. She then talked about how a feminist approach can be applied to this issue and how youth inclusion needs to follow the gender equity lens. In doing so, Hanna also outlined an intersectional approach, touching upon several issues like gender and identity.

Next, Biqila Hirpa, who is an Includovate analyst, took the stage to discuss youth inclusion in the Ethiopian context. Providing a regional case context gave us a useful look into this issue. Biqila first defined the issue in the Ethiopian context, then used this to build broader definitions of youth inclusion. He gave fundamental information on youth in Ethiopia, then shared data pertaining to the current status of youth inclusion in Ethiopia in a variety of contexts, including gender-based violence, HIV prevalence, global Youth Development Index, youth unemployment rates, and youth literacy rates. Biqila gave his analysis and briefly informed us about National Youth Policies and Packages. He summed up by outlining the main barriers to youth inclusion: lack of employment opportunities, low access to land, socio economic and political marginalisation, and restrictive gender norms. He explained that the most vulnerable groups are young women, young people living in drought areas, and young refugees/migrants. Biqila finished his presentation by talking about the way forward for youth inclusion in Ethiopia.

The last speaker was Racha Ammati, who is an International Gender Equality Consultant. Racha talked about youth and gender equality and her role as a UN Women Youth Advisor for the Arab States Region. Her presentation included valuable experiences from research in the field. Racha briefly talked about the Youth Gender Innovation Agora (GIA) platform, which was established under the UN Women Regional Office. Then she shared her extensive knowledge about the roles and responsibilities of a UN Women Advisor. After this, she explained how the UN Women Priorities for 2021 involve the economic empowerment of women, increasing the number of women in the workforce, eliminating violence against girls and women, and women’s participation in decision-making bodies. Racha finished by honouring the team she worked with and mentioning their goals.