Creating a Mechanism and Space for Youth Participation (GEKHN0005)

Commitment ID

GEKHN0005

Commitment Title

Creating a Mechanism and Space for Youth Participation

Problem

Youth participation is very low in the activities of the local government of the Khoni Municipality. This is largely due to high internal migration, as a result of which the majority of the youth go to study and/or to work in other cities within the country or abroad.

Status quo

Nowadays, the Khoni Municipality is in fact devoid of young people, because they do not see opportunities for any development there and are not involved in addressing the issues that are vital for them. In general, neither are they engaged in local government activities. There are no effective mechanisms or spaces for youth participation that would help the municipality develop youth-centered policies.

Action

In order to ensure an effective youth ecosystem, the City Hall of Khoni Municipality will create a consultation-advisory unit - Council of Youth Advisors, whose members will be selected through an open competition. The commitment envisages the creation of the youth council and the selection of its members, also the training of selected members on youth needs assessment and international standards of youth participation, as well as their active involvement in local development processes. The Council will develop a youth strategy for 2024-2028. The action plan will specify: mechanisms of cooperation with relevant units of the City Hall, City Council (Sakrebulo), civil society and international organizations; Based on extensive consultations with target groups and their needs assessment, the Council of Youth Advisors will develop at least two budgetary initiatives per year to address the priority issues identified by the youth. With regard to the submitted initiatives, the City Hall will introduce and institutionalize the feedback mechanism. The commitment also implies the creation of a special space equipped with modern information technologies and computers for supporting the council activities. This space will be used for training the youth on identifying the youth needs, also on international standards of youth participation, competences of the local government and decision-making processes, and the use of new technologies for greater openness and participation.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?

As a result of fulfilling the commitment, there will be a Council of Youth Advisors created in the Khoni Municipality, together with  civic space equipped with modern technologies for supporting the activities of the council. The council will conduct extensive consultations with target groups, on the basis of which the 2024-2028 Youth Strategy and 2024-2025 Action Plan will be prepared. Up to 100 young people will be trained and their awareness and access to municipal programs and services will increase. This will enhance the interest and opportunities of the youth living in Khoni to actively participate in the development, implementation and monitoring processes of the programs and services intended for them.

What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?

The commitment is directly linked to the strategic goal of the municipality of Khoni to increase the participation of young people in the activities of local self-government.

Primary Policy Area

Civic Space, Right to Information, Social Accountability

Primary Sector

Education, Public Services (general)

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?