Kathmandu 24 March 2016-- The UN-Habitat Urban Youth Fund in collaboration with HANDS International, a national non-profit organization in Nepal last week conducted a Youth Fund Management training and workshop for youth-led organizations in Kathmandu. The training is part of Urban Youth Fund capacity building commitment to empowering and supporting youth-led organizations that have received grants from the program. In attendance was Mr. Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed, the CEO to HANDS, who endorsed the need to conduct similar trainings, necessary in implementing successful youth- led projects. “Youth are assets to any nation and the future of their countries,” said Mr. Shaikh.

The training aimed to equip youth-led organizations with the necessary skills and knowledge to manage projects, reports and financial statements relating to their implementation. The training sessions allowed participants to network and exchange ideas and methods for development work focused on youth. This workshop brought together the coordinators of projects funded from the Urban Youth Fund from various countries in Africa and Asia Pacific regions. Nepalese youth were also in attendance through the efforts of Youth Initiative, a leading youth-led, organization that promotes youth empowerment, civic engagement, democratization and human rights in Nepal.

Youth from the Indian Youth Fund, an initiative of UN-Habitat and Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation in India, were trained as well. The three selected youth-led organizations from Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata are keen in providing innovative and hands-on solutions toward sustainable urbanization in water, sanitation, health and gender. UN-Habitat embraces the belief that youth are a solution for sustainable urban development; the 21st session of the UN-Habitat Governing Council recognized this and proposed the fund with the objective to advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Habitat Agenda. UN-Habitat also trusts that the funded projects provide best practices on youth-led development important for undertaking researches.

This in light of creating greater awareness of youth-led development and the urgency to ensure that youth perspectives are integrated into local, national and international development policies and strategies. Since the launching of the program in 2009 over 296 projects led by young people from all over the world have received funding through the Youth fund Program.