Press release

PEACE BUILDING PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME

Youth employment as a conflict prevention and peace-building vector

Dushanbe, 23 January 2015

With funding from the EU Instrument for Stability facility, this project aims to prevent the youth in Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) from taking part in conflicts and it promotes peace in the region. The two-and-a-half-year project, which is implemented by the International Charity Public Organization Jovid in partnership with the NGO Yokuti Darshai, starts in January 2015 and is called “Decreasing the post-conflict tensity and the risks of community conflict reoccurrence through socio-economic inclusions of local youth into peace & confidence building and income generation activities”.

By involving around 500 young people in local decision-making processes and income-generating activities in Iskashim and Murgab districts in GBAO, the project plans to contribute to decreasing post-conflict tensions and reducing the risk of the local youth becoming further involved in conflicts.

The first step of the project will be to organize conferences on district level concerning the goals and objectives of the project. Further steps involve: training of school teachers who will facilitate special classes for 300 school children; organizing contests to raise awareness against violence, such as drawing contests and article writing contests on conflict prevention; equipping schools with sport inventory and starting up sport clubs to promote healthy life styles and prevent conflict situations.

The project will also provide equipment, visual aids and manuals for TVET institutions with the aim to prepare skilled workers in the region. In addition, short term courses will be organized for 300 young people in selected districts. The students who take these courses and meet the criteria will receive diplomas or certificates, which they can use in the future when they are applying for jobs.

In cooperation with the private sector in GBAO, the project will support some of the young people who have participated in short term courses and other project events with business start-up grants. The participants who present the best business ideas will be awarded a financial contribution. In total 20 business ideas will be supported and about 60 people will get employed, and these young entrepreneurs will receive business training and go on study tours within the country to learn from other similar businesses.

Another component of the project will be to provide training and technical support to youth departments and tourism departments within local authorities in targeted districts. It is worth mentioning that two youth associations will be established. Youth Committee staff together with students and youth will go through special trainings and become members of the youth associations. These youth association members will organize regular TV or radio shows covering issues related to conflict and conflict management. Furthermore, the project will organize round tables about the role of the youth in local decision-making processes and workshops on the role of local youth in socio-economic development in rural areas.

The project is implemented by «Jovid», a Tajik NGO that is active in Tajikistan since 2003.

Press contact:

For more detailed information address to Michele Crimella, Program Manager of the European Union Delegation to Tajikistan: michele.crimella@eeas.europa.eu, Tel: ( 992-37) 221-74-07, 227-09-74