All over the world, youth are an asset to catalyze development and bring change through positive ideas for the benefit of all. Young leaders, always restless and full of energy, are actors of innovation for sustainable development.

Today, there are 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10 and 24, the largest generation of young people in history. Nearly 90% of them live in developing countries, where they make up a large part of the population. Their numbers are expected to increase further: by 2030, about 1.9 billion people are expected to be under 15 years of age. Connected to each other as never before, young people want to contribute and are already contributing to the resilience of their communities, offering innovative solutions, stimulating social progress and inspiring political change. They are also agents of change, mobilizing to achieve sustainable development goals to improve people's lives.

For this reason, UNDP has initiated the Youth Leadership Programme in partnership with Good Planet Africa, which was launched in Djibouti yesterday. This project aims to support young people with development projects. Whether it is the setting up of a social enterprise, a public utility and non-profit NGO or any other initiative. The aim is to support initiatives in favour of sustainable or durable development, to build a network of young girls and boys who are capable of bringing about change and whose actions have a positive impact on their country. In Djibouti, the vast majority of the population is made up of young people under the age of 25. This living force of the nation must be an actor in development. Djibouti's youth remains a force for proposal, innovation and action, which can play an important role in achieving sustainable development objectives.

Young Djiboutians are resolutely forward-looking and want to play an important role in the socio-economic development of their country. This is why some of them are involved in the social field and excel in volunteering and assisting the most deprived people. Some are very keen on the new information and communication technologies and have a good grasp of their workings. They are very connected and full of ideas. Hence the establishment of a multitude of companies in various fields around these instruments.

UNDP encourages innovative, curious and enterprising Djiboutian youth to join this programme in order to showcase their skills and share their experience with the youth of the world.

In Djibouti, this programme is implemented with the collaboration of the Centre for Leadership and Entrepreneurship, which aims to support young project leaders. It also involves the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Development, which presents itself as a talent factory. It supports innovative and high-impact projects in the fields of ICT, renewable energies, agribusiness, the environment and services. These two structures have experience in the field of youth entrepreneurship and the implementation of projects.

Youth Leadership Programme wants to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations' sustainable development goals. This programme, initiated in the Arab world, also aims to support the development of innovative solutions for young people to meet the challenges of climate change. The fight against poverty, education, health, gender equality, promotion of peace, civic engagement and environmental protection are also supported by this UNDP initiative.

The Young Leadership Programme was launched in 2015. It saw the participation of 14,000 young people and supported some 7,000 projects. Participants have launched and created successful small businesses, won municipal elections, received awards for innovative solutions and presented their ideas at renowned universities and global platforms such as the ECOSOC Youth Forum at UN headquarters. It has enabled young people to exchange experiences, learn from each other and share ideas. In this way, they learn about project development, stress management, effective communication etc.

The Young Leadership Programme enables the development of innovative, impactful and sustainable solutions. Young Djiboutians, go for it!

Kenedid Ibrahim