Guinea-Bissau has an estimated population of 1,8 million people which is predominantly young (63,5% is under the age of 25). Young women and men today constitute the most important reservoir for human capital potential and could play a key role to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of the country. Unfortunately youth potential as innovators, political actors, entrepreneurs, and peace-builders remains weakly tapped in development spaces.
Bissau-Guinean youth face multiple problems and major challenges that hinder their active participation in development. Youth remain in large part excluded from employment opportunities, socially unprotected and confined to the informal economy (25.4% are NEET). Even though youth constitutes almost 65% of the population, youth do not participate in socioeconomic development and are excluded from exercising leadership positions. Young people are largely affected by poverty (80% of the poor are between of 15 and 35 years old).
The situation is even grimmer for young women, who face reduced incomes, higher rates of unemployment (32%, against 19% of men) and limited access to factors of production. The average years of schooling (1.4 women; 3.4 men) and illiteracy rates for women are considerably higher (58% women; 31% men). The continuous teachers’ strikes result in an entire generation without adequate schooling and is cause of youth’s grievances and lack of preparedness for labor market. A generation that loses faith in their future is a burden on societal relations, thus reduces trust in government.
In Guinea-Bissau, there is a positive entrepreneurial dynamic in the informal sector, but this is not adequately channelled and does not create decent jobs. Some of the reasons for these limitations are: limited entrepreneurial skills, lack of capacities and professional experience, weakness of structures and support mechanisms for entrepreneurship, limited government’s support to young people’s initiatives, difficult access to credit in banking institutions and low access for young people to information and communication technologies. Moreover, the education system is very fragile and offers very limited and of poor-quality vocational training, thus exacerbating the difficulties of access to the job market for young people.
In addition to unemployment, among youth, there is a gradual loss of civic, moral, cultural and social values. An increased individualism, which in turn weaken the sense of general interest and common good, a gradual loss of solidarity, and flagrant and serious violations of the “living together” rules are increasingly perceived across the society.
The persistence of economic inequalities, especially among youth, contribute to grievances that pose a risk to the path towards Guinea-Bissau’s political and social stability. It constitutes a high peril of social disruption, undermining youth’s abilities to contribute to country’s sustainable development, social cohesion and ultimately peace. Socio-economic (and political) exclusion have led youth to rely on suboptimal coping strategies, which reinforce youth’s vulnerability, who can be manipulated into violence and crime.
In this context, there is the need to equip young people and women to make the most of emerging economic opportunities, support innovative, inclusive, job-creating and sustainable approaches, and ensure access to inclusive financing and markets at the national and local level. There is also a need to increase young people’s possibilities to participate in decision-making spaces and empower them to play an active role as agents of change for peacebuilding and social cohesion. Several initiatives in favor for Youth are being implemented by UNDP and need to be strengthened.
In this way, UNDP is hiring an international consultant who will contribute to increase young people’s possibilities to participate in decision-making spaces and empower them to play an active role as agents of change for peace-building and social cohesion.
Objective of the assignment
Contribute to establish new initiatives to increase youth participation in development spaces as agents of change for peacebuilding and social cohesion.