The “Sharek” project to support young people’s participation in public and local life, which has notably targeted young people from the neighbourhoods of Ezzouhour in Kasserine, Douar Hicher in Manouba, Al Habib in Sfax and Al Andalus in Bizerte, launched on Tuesday in Nabeul a white paper for a new youth policy in Tunisia. The white paper is the culmination of two years’ work within the framework of workshops dedicated to listening to the concerns of young people and supporting them in formulating a project for a new youth policy, pointed out to TAP Wajdi Filali, Coordinator of the Youth Programme of the German “Heinrish Böll” Foundation, launched in September 2022 and due to continue until December 2025. He underlined that the White Paper presents the general public and decision-makers with proposals and recommendations from young people for a new youth policy that meets their aspirations and expectations. The document, he said, comprises six main points: “The right to participation,” “the right to education,” “the right to work and regional development,” “the rights of future generations to the environment,” “the right to dignity and physical integrity during police pursuits” and “the right to address social violence.” Young people taking part in the “Sharek” project who had identified the priorities and focus of the White Paper, after having collected proposals and recommendations from young people, based on a study which diagnosed the reality of young people, notably those aged 18-35. National Coordinator of the “Sharek” project indicated that the recommendations set out in the White Paper converge around the need to devise policies and approaches for the inclusion of young people based on a human rights approach, and to establish an ongoing dialogue with young people on public policies and youth policies in particular. He indicated that the White Paper puts forward proposals for a multidisciplinary youth policy that sets out the mechanisms needed to improve the living conditions of young people and help them adapt to change, as part of a human rights-based approach that rejects exclusion and marginalisation, combats discrimination in all its forms and enshrines young people’s right to participation, underlining that the implementation of this youth policy requires strong political will and its implementation in concrete measures.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse