Youth Leadership Programme (YLP) - United Nations Partnerships for SDGs platform

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Youth Leadership Programme (YLP)

Description of Good Practice
SDGs & Targets
Resources mobilized

Introduction

The Youth Leadership Programme (YLP) launched in 2015 to build the region's most dynamic network working at the intersection of youth, innovation and sustainable development. YLP has run four successful cycles and, as of end of 2018, has worked with over 7,000 youth participants and supported 5,000+ projects. YLP participants have launched and established successful small businesses, won municipality elections, received recognition and awards for their innovative solutions, and presented their ideas at renowned universities and global platforms like the ECOSOC Youth Forum within the UN Headquarters in New York, Stanford University, Hult International Business School, and the European Parliament.

Objective of the practice

As the Arab region is home to the youngest population in the world, with over 100 million youth between the ages of 15 and 29 - these young men and women have the potential to drive significant change and promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, they are faced with several challenges that make it difficult for them to become change-makers without the proper resources and support. Despite widespread stereotypes about unmotivated and unskilled youth in the region, it has been demonstrated that they tend to be “better educated and more connected to global knowledge relative to older ages.” This indicates that it is not the lack of skills, but rather of available opportunities, that prevents them from becoming change-makers in their communities.
Youth Leadership Programme (YLP) is a solid, positive step to foster youth inclusion in a number of Arab States. The recently released UN Youth Strategy (2018-2021) has prioritized promoting the civic and political engagement of youth, noting that the UN must leverage its capacity in order to promote youth participation in public affairs at all levels. Young change-makers are identified and supported in this program and closer collaboration is fostered among the government, civil society, and private sector through this initiative.
YLP equips and transforms the lives of young people in the Arab states and demystifies the stereotype of young Arabs as universally, perpetually in despair. While indeed many Arab countries are in a state of turmoil, the truth is that young people across the region are finding ways to keep their societies moving forward our UNDP YLP. We are providing the interlinks of SDGs and institutional changes by working with young people in every Arab country who are putting their creativity to the service of their communities, using technology and innovation to support change that matters in daily life.
In 2018, YLP was recognized for its impact and work by the UNICEF Generation Unlimited campaign - a global partnership that aims to ensure that every young person is in education, learning, training or employment by 2030.
As the programme has been successful and popular across the region, attracting immense talent and diverse skill sets, the plan for the next three years is to scale up and extend the reach to over 100,000 young people and 1,000 youth-serving organizations. In order to do so the programme is working on introducing a number of tools, platforms and ideas that will enhance the collective knowledge and bring people together on national and regional levels.

Key stakeholders and partnerships

There are a variety of partnerships as well as key stakeholders. YLP has facilitated an exchange between YLP participants and Hult International Business School for the “Business and Social Innovation” course. YLP also selects top change-makers to take part in the ECOSOC Youth Forum and share their projects and vision for achieving the SDGs. Additional partners include Sweden Sverige, UNITAR, Union for the Mediterranean, UN Women, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth and Arab Women Organization and The Middle East Broadcasting Center.

Implementation of the Project/Activity

As the programme has been successful and popular across the region, attracting immense talent and diverse skill sets, the plan for the next three years is to scale up and extend the reach to over 100,000 young people and 1,000 youth-serving organizations. In order to do so the programme is working on introducing a number of tools, platforms and ideas that will enhance the collective knowledge and bring people together on national and regional levels:
1. Exploring new mechanisms of support, beyond the traditional approaches, to advance youth development solutions. YLP will develop a new platform that will encourage networking opportunities to explore forward thinking, analyze emerging trends and foresee upcoming developments. The platform will facilitate exchange of expertise, building collective knowledge and offering collaboration opportunities that will cross borders of countries as well as thematic areas. In addition, the platform will help provide and facilitate global networking opportunities, conferences and forums to extend reach to show case youth projects and prototypes.
2. Experimenting to strengthen the design of solutions and learn through experimentation. We are determined to support 1. Strategic thinkers that can collectively tackle a tough challenge, 2. Crafty experimenters that are constantly looking for ways to test what they’re working on, so they can better understand how it works and how to improve it and 3. Systems thinkers to design solutions that take into account the different parts of a society to be connected and impact each other. YLP would mobilize the means required to implement this agenda based on a spirit of strengthened global solidarity. The programme aims to establish a grants scheme that would offer financial and technical support to young innovators and change makers.
3. Expanding knowledge by institutionalizing the YLP approach. To enhance the collective knowledge and build the capacity of its participants, the programme will launch an online Learning Facility that will host several materials, guides and manuals that YLP participants can access. A new curriculum on topics and solutions identified during the first four years of the programme will be developed. In the era of technological advancement and virtual conduct of business, the curriculum will contain learning materials on digital literacy with demand-driven thematic courses and training. These skills are vital for participants’ development solutions to succeed and reach a wider audience.
YLP believes that investing in expanding knowledge, networking and resources will facilitate the scale up process and support participants in becoming global competitors in innovation, solution mapping and change- makers and a force for change across the region. Once taken to the new heights this programme has the potential to revolutionize the way youth can contribute to the development, peace and stability in their communities and around the globe.

Results/Outputs/Impacts

In its first year, YLP1 brought together 40 young women and men from 18 Arab countries to nurture their creativity, strengthen their leadership skills, and help them realize their ideas to improve their communities (Jordan, September 2015). In its second year and under the theme “Innovation for Sustainable Development,” YLP2 supported more than 700 youth through national activities and culminated in a regional event for 70 youth (Kuwait, December 2016). YLP3 was themed “Accelerating Innovation for Sustainable Development”, and the programme supported more than 1,000 youth through national activities and culminated in a regional event for 100 youth (Egypt, December 2017). In January 2018, twelve YLP change-makers from across all three years took part in the ECOSOC Youth Forum in New York, where they presented the projects they developed during YLP and shared their vision for how youth can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). YLP4, themed “Innovating for Sustainable Impact”, expanded the reach and impact of YLP3 by targeting 14 countries across the Arab Region. YLP4 engaged 5,000 youth in national activities across the region and partnered with national organizations that work towards youth empowerment and fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goals.
Building on the lessons learned and momentum generated during YLP1-4, YLP5 is set to launch in 2019. As part of YLP5, UNDP will partner with youth-serving organizations in countries across the Arab region to host national activities designed to support and empower a diverse set of young women and men change-makers, as they design, implement and scale innovative, impactful and sustainable development solutions. In addition, two regional events will be held to launch and support the programme, bringing together youth, youth-serving organizations, policy makers and relevant stakeholders from across the region.
The expected outputs are that we will first and foremost strengthen the capacity and skills of youth participants, enabling them to become effective political and civic leaders, thinkers, innovators, and change-makers. The expected indicators for assessment and evaluation include the number of thematic curriculums developed to support young innovators/change-makers, the level of support to Country Offices to facilitate growth and innovation, the number of new initiatives created by the YLP participants, the level of impact on the collective knowledge of YLP, and the number of knowledge product finalized on civic and political participation
We also will consolidate and expand YLP’s network of youth-serving partner organizations to strengthen the ecosystem for youth-led innovation for development in the Arab region. The expected indicators include the number of YLP participants that joined the networking platform, the social media campaign finalized and launched, and the number of social media followers across all platforms (Twitter, Facebook).
Finally we will create a knowledge-sharing platform to provide youth and partners with access to innovative materials, methodologies, and tools related to political and civic engagement and social innovation. The expected indicators for output three is the number of new private sector partners engaged, the level of support provided to Cos, and thenumber of social media followers across all platforms (Twitter, Facebook).

Enabling factors and constraints

Enabling factors that help the practice to succeed is that YLP works at the country, regional, and global level. Our year long programme is holistic and provides the support necessary for young leaders to achieve their own goals as well as the Sustainable Development Goals. One example of how we accomplish this is through our regional workshops. The first regional workshop will be held in March 2019, which will bring together selected youth-focused organizations and youth representatives to launch YLP5.
The workshop will bring together 80 youth-focused organizations from the participating countries over three days. It will provide a collaborative space where participants can engage in various sessions designed to familiarize them with the aims of YLP, facilitate the development of networks among participants, and develop skills that will enable them to support youth in becoming political, civic, and policy change-makers. This workshop will also create a space for youth to discuss regional priorities and strategies to End Violence Against Women (EVAW) with the support of UN Women.
The main objectives of the first YLP5 Regional Workshop are to expand our knowledge by institutionalizing the YLP approach and developing an online Learning Facility. Secondly, we push to explore new mechanisms of support to advance youth development solutions. Lastly, we desire to experiment with new ways of maximizing the YLP network of youth-focused organizations, Youth and development partners.
Following the regional event, YLP5 will continue to provide access to technical expertise, networking opportunities, and financial resources for participating organizations and youth through the national activities, leading up to the second regional workshop. This workshop will encourage youth to exchange experiences and knowledge to foster innovation in order to remove barriers for gender equality as well as end violence against women.
External factors and constraints in the region include that unemployment among youth in Arab States is the highest in the world, 30 percent in 2016, comparing to 13 percent worldwide . The region struggles with an ongoing exclusion of young women and restricting their capabilities and opportunities. Women in the region still face discrimination - the issues are exaggerated even more in countries facing conflict or post-conflict transition. The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the region is vital for the young people to progress and become effective leaders and social innovators and of the future. Financial Support is an enabling factor and may become a constraint as without the resources required to implement our vision we will not be able to realize our ideas into projects and provide youth the best methods and tools to create positive, sustainable chance.

Sustainability and replicability

Elements that are in place for environmental, social and economic sustainability and resilience. Cost/efficiency implications - benefits relative to costs. Plans for extending the practice more widely or encouraging its adoption in other contexts.
Since its inception four years ago, YLP has been designed and implemented with the goal of becoming a sustainable model that relies on high quality interventions, and on the enthusiasm, passion and dedication of the program participants themselves. The youth participants are part of every phase of the program, with their responsibilities increasing over the four years from recipients in YLP1 to serving as trainers, mentors and implementers in YLP4. This approach has helped not only establish a cadre of innovative and engaged youth, but youth who are actively taking part in supporting the development of their incoming peers.
Sustainability is also envisioned through reliance on an online platform that in the long-run will be a low-cost and high-impact initiative operated and managed by the youth-serving organizations themselves. For the establishment of the Hubs, the program leverages on the facilities and resources of its partners which include youth serving organizations, ministries and councils, and incubators. These hosting organizations will be provided with the knowledge and know-how to independently operate them as well as to connect and collaborate with the other Hubs in the region.
In considering the regional level the workshosp will consist of technical and hands-on sessions, complemented by the participation of inspirational speakers who will share experiences on how to develop youth talent, launch sustainable social enterprises and initiatives, and become agents of change. Experts and speakers from UNDP, UNITAR, national/regional partners, and private sector/academic institutions, in addition to entrepreneurs, innovators, and activists, will facilitate Sessions. The Regional Workshop will also count on the presence of former YLP1, 2, 3, and 4 participants, who will act as inspirational speakers and mentors during the event. This will enable the training to continue outside of the formality of the programme.

Conclusions

YLP is in every way a tool for our participants, partners and communities as well as for UNDP. We have successfully piloted a rapidly growing programme for youth that has already made its marks on the region. Therefore, we know that if taken to new heights this programme has the potential to revolutionize the way youth can contribute to peace and sustainability in their communities and across the globe. UNDP Country Offices in the Arab States region will work closely with the YLP5 regional team to identify and engage national youth focused organizations, based on a rigorous selection process using specific criteria to ensure that we build upon the lessons learned from past years. We will continue to select youth who have demonstrated professional experience and knowledge in supporting youth in development and have a strong proven record, with quantifiable results, of making an impact on the youth in their communities.
We will also ensure that the individuals participating in the program have an extensive reach in the number of youth involved in their programmes. We are continuing to strike new ground with our strong, demonstrable connection to Agenda 2030. We understand the exchange of familiarity with social innovation methodologies, especially design thinking with participants and them with us. In lessons learned we understand there must be a willingness and commitment to collaborate with UNDP as well as to have capacity (people, time, resources) to commit to YLP4 national activities. Key factors for impact include having a diverse staff (gender, people with disabilities, age, etc.)

Other sources of information

UNDP story (https://stories.undp.org/champions-of-change) and this YLP3 video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4b_xF8smHc) for further information on Youth Leadership Programme (YLP) and the program the brochure here (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aF_ol2Ajblq9n9Izl9esMyZFsOML92ED/view).

Goal 1

1.1 - By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day

1.2 - By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

1.3 - Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable

1.4 - By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance

1.5 - By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters

1.a - Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions

1.b - Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions

Goal 2

2.1 - By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round

2.2 - By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons

2.3 - By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment

2.4 - By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality

2.5 - By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed

2.a - Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries

2.b - Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round

2.c - Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility

Goal 3

3.1 - By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births

3.2 - By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births

3.3 - By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases

3.4 - By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being

3.5 - Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol

3.6 - By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents

3.7 - By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes

3.8 - Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all

3.9 - By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination

3.a - Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate

3.b - Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all

3.c - Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States

3.d - Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks

Goal 4

4.1 - By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes

4.2 - By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education

4.3 - By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

4.4 - By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

4.5 - By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

4.6 - By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy

4.7 - By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

4.a - Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

4.b - By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries

4.c - By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

Goal 5

5.1 - End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

5.2 - Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

5.3 - Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation

5.4 - Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

5.5 - Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

5.6 - Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

5.a - Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

5.b - Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

5.c - Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

Goal 6

6.1 - By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

6.2 - By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

6.3 - By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

6.4 - By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

6.5 - By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

6.6 - By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

6.a - By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies

6.b - Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

Goal 7

7.1 - By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services

7.2 - By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

7.3 - By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency

7.a - By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology

7.b - By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support

Goal 8

8.1 - Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries

8.2 - Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors

8.3 - Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

8.4 - Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead

8.5 - By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

8.6 - By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training

8.7 - Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms

8.8 - Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

8.9 - By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

8.10 - Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all

8.a - Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries

8.b - By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization

Goal 9

9.1 - Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all

9.2 - Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries

9.3 - Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets

9.4 - By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities

9.5 - Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending

9.a - Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States

9.b - Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities

9.c - Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020

Goal 10

10.1 - By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average

10.2 - By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

10.3 - Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard

10.4 - Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality

10.5 - Improve the regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions and strengthen the implementation of such regulations

10.6 - Ensure enhanced representation and voice for developing countries in decision-making in global international economic and financial institutions in order to deliver more effective, credible, accountable and legitimate institutions

10.7 - Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies

10.a - Implement the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, in accordance with World Trade Organization agreements

10.b - Encourage official development assistance and financial flows, including foreign direct investment, to States where the need is greatest, in particular least developed countries, African countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, in accordance with their national plans and programmes

10.c - By 2030, reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent

Goal 11

11.1 - By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

11.2 - By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons

11.3 - By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries

11.4 - Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage

11.5 - By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations

11.6 - By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management

11.7 - By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities

11.a - Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning

11.b - By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels

11.c - Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials

Goal 12

12.1 - Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries

12.2 - By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

12.3 - By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses

12.4 - By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment

12.5 - By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

12.6 - Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle

12.7 - Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

12.8 - By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature

12.a - Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production

12.b - Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

12.c - Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities

Goal 13

13.1 - Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

13.2 - Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

13.3 - Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

13.a - Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

13.b - Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities

* Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international,
intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.

Goal 14

14.1 - By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution

14.2 - By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans

14.3 - Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels

14.4 - By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics

14.5 - By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information

14.6 - By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation

14.7 - By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism

14.a - Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries

14.b - Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets

14.c - Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in UNCLOS, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of The Future We Want

Goal 15

15.1 - By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements

15.2 - By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally

15.3 - By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world

15.4 - By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development

15.5 - Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species

15.6 - Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed

15.7 - Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products

15.8 - By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species

15.9 - By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts

15.a - Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems

15.b - Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation

15.c - Enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities

Goal 16

16.1 - Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere

16.2 - End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children

16.3 - Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all

16.4 - By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime

16.5 - Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms

16.6 - Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels

16.7 - Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels

16.8 - Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance

16.9 - By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration

16.10 - Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements

16.a - Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime

16.b - Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development

Goal 17

Finance -

17.1 - Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection

17.2 - Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries

17.3 - Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources

17.4 - Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress

17.5 - Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries

Technology -

17.6 - Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism

17.7 - Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed

17.8 - Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology

Capacity-Building -

17.9 - Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation

Trade -

17.10 - Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda

17.11 - Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020

17.12 - Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access

Systemic Issues - Policy and Institutional coherence

17.13 - Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence

17.14 - Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development

17.15 - Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development

Multi-stakeholder partnerships

17.16 - Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

17.17 - Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

Data, monitoring and accountability

17.18 - By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts

17.19 - By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

Basic information

Start: 01 January, 2015

Completion: 31 December, 2019

Ongoing? yes

Region

West Asia

Countries

Geographical Coverage

11 Arab states/countries are part of the YLP: Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Morocco, Bahrain, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon Somalia Iraq and Libya.

Entity

United Nations Development Programme
Type: United Nations entity

Contact information

Kawtar Zerouali, Regional Programme Manager, kawtar.zerouali@undp.org,

Photos