YOUTH CITY

As the world is urbanizing, more and more people live in urban slums and informal settlements. Urban inequality is one of the most acute challenges globally and needs attention now. As advanced in Sustainable Development Goal 11, we need to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. This programme addresses some of the challenges of young people living in cities of Sub-Saharan Africa, where urbanization is growing at the fastest rate globally. The cities are not able to absorb and include the growing population of youth, so young people tend to end up in informal settlements and slum areas excluded from power, work, and education. Although they are the new generation, the leaders of tomorrow, many young people are cut off from influence and opportunities to pursue their dreams and shape their city. Despite the marginalization they face, urban youth are far from passive bystanders. They are passionate about their city. They take action. They are innovative and hatch game changing ideas. And as advanced in the most recent Global Youth Wellbeing Index Report (2017), the SDGs cannot be met without greater investments in young people. Thus, as we see it, achieving the SDGs, transforming cities, and empowering young people goes hand in hand. Through this programme, we want to position young people at the center of the global urban development debate, we want to support the youth who act, and we want to translate young people’s dreams of youth-friendly cities into reality. In so doing, the programme is undertaken in direct partnership with urban youth. Young people design the actions we undertake; monitor and evaluate our work; engage in evidence-driven advocacy; and co-produce inspiring stories and communication material. To clearly position this as an urban programme, with a key focus on youth, the overall impact we are guided by is directly aligned with SDG 11, contributing towards making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable for young people