UNA Tanzania in partnership with CRISP Berlin are implementing The African UN Youth Delegate (AUNYD) Program in Tanzania. The Program is part of a regional movement implemented not only in Tanzania but also in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda and South Sudan. The main aim is to increase representation of the youth from the Global South at the United Nations. The project capacitates East African youth and increases their visibility through workshops, skills trainings, and regional meetings. Apart from that the program seeks to enhance the work of UN Associations and organizations in the associated countries. The AUNYD is not an official part of the UN Youth Delegate Program. The UN Youth Delegate Program is driven and owned by UN Member States. Official Youth Delegates are always exclusively selected by UN Member States. The AUNYD we select have a better chance to become national UN Youth Delegates through our training and support.
From 24th to 28th May 2023 UNA Tanzania hosted the (East) African UN Youth Delegates in Dar es salaam, Tanzania for the second regional training. For 5 days the delegates were coached, mentored and received feedback from experts to sharpen their national & regional mandates, foster negotiations, networking, lobbying and advocacy skills as well as attain practical diplomatic skills through diplomatic simulations, all geared up to represent their fellow youth in the UN General Assembly later this year.
Noreen Toroka, Program Officer of the Kigoma Joint program at ILO in Tanzania facilitating a presentation on youth unemployment
The training involved presentations and feedback from experts on the fields of the delegates mandates; Youth Unemployment and Youth Participation. Noreen Toroka, Program Officer of the Kigoma Joint program at ILO in Tanzania facilitated a session on youth unemployment and Tausi Hassan, Program Analyst at UNFPA Tanzania facilitated a session on youth leadership and participation. In addition to that there was a special session on gender maintreaming facilitated by Rashida Shariff, Gender Expert at UNFPA Tanzania. This was especially designed to equip the delegates with the ability to maintstream gender into their mandates in order to adress gender inequalities.
Tausi Hassan, Program Analyst at UNFPA Tanzania facilitating a presentations on youth leadership and participation
Moreover, the delegates participated in simulation games facilitated by Frederick Broers and Jan Lucas, Project Coordinators at CRISP. One of the simulations involved UN Security Council meeting which exposed the delegates on negotiations, resolution creations, along with rules and procedures of the UN meetings. Another simulation game aimed to simulate a high-stake environment with dynamic landscape of stakeholders who possess diverse interests where the delegates interacted with in order to lobby and advocate for their mandates. Through this practical experience the delegates fostered networking, lobbying, advocacy and strategic thinking skills.
The African UN Youth Delegates on a simulation of the UN Security Council
Aside from that, the coordinators from the 6 countries were busy with sessions on project applications, member retention and fundraising strategies in order to create stronger UN Associations and organizations.
Reynald Maeda – UNA Tanzania Executive Director facilitating a session on member retention during coordinators sessions
“The second regional training was full of engaging discussions and fruitful dialogues, we delved into the pressing issue of youth unemployment, gaining valuable insights into the practical measures being implemented on the ground through a constructive dialogue with a representative from the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Tanzania. Additionally, we explored the issue of youth underrepresentation in global spaces gaining insights from a representative of UNFPA Tanzania. The training allowed us to thoroughly examine the challenges and brainstorm solutions. Together, we collectively organized our demands in a hierarchical manner and drew important conclusions” – Ebenezer Mathew, UN Youth Delegate from Tanzania.
Ebenezer Mathew – UN Youth Delegate from Tanzania providing inputs during discussions of the delegates mandates
