Over three days of official engagements, marked by high-level dialogue with the Government, the private sector, project beneficiaries and the diplomatic corps, UNDP and Djibouti further strengthened a long-standing strategic partnership in support of sustainable development, national priorities, particularly youth and employment, and regional cooperation.

Djibouti, 7 July 2026 – Dr Abdallah Al-Dardari, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), concluded a three-day official visit to Djibouti, marked by the signing of a declaration of intent in support of youth and by a series of high-level meetings with the Government, the private sector, project beneficiaries and the diplomatic corps.

The visit came a few weeks after the inauguration of President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh for a sixth term and the formation of a new government. It opened with discussions with the Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge of Industry, Mr Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, on the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2025-2030, the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) and a Red Sea Strategy, as well as on a South-South cooperation avenue with Jordan, inspired by the Dead Sea special economic zone and transferable to Lake Assal. The Regional Director then met with the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Mr Mohamed Ahmed Awaleh, on the collaboration with UNDP and the vertical funds, with particular attention to the flagship project to preserve the Day Forest, supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

In the field, at Douda (Arta region), Dr Al-Dardari met the beneficiaries of two projects supported by the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP). The DECAN association presented its mangrove restoration work: more than 500 mangrove trees (Avicennia marina) planted, biochar production, four permanent jobs created and awareness-raising conducted in 50 schools, with strong involvement of women. The Dadaal Petit Douda association presented the nine facilities (water reservoirs and solar pumps) installed with SGP support, which enable local farmers to grow vegetables destined for the Riyadh market. UNDP reaffirmed its technical support to these civil society organizations and its intention to mobilize the private sector, notably through corporate social responsibility initiatives.

From these field realities to national decision-making, a working lunch co-organized by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and UNDP brought together several members of the Government to build a coalition around youth employment, a cross-cutting priority of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2025-2030.

Dr Al-Dardari underlined the paradox of solid and resilient growth coexisting with high unemployment, recalling that youth employment is inseparable from the country’s stability and calls for a multisectoral approach, anchored in social protection and inclusion: the very ambition of the Youth Portfolio then proposed by UNDP. For his part, the Minister of Economy and Finance described employment as a matter of national security and stability, calling for structural reforms, the strengthening of young people’s skills, the creation of jobs with high labor-absorption capacity and a reduction in energy costs conducive to private investment.

This ambition took concrete form at the National Assembly, where more than 35 members of parliament, including the Vice-President and members of the Assembly’s Bureau, together with some fifteen representatives of Djiboutian youth, attended the signing of a tripartite declaration of intent between the National Assembly, the Ministry of Youth and Culture and UNDP, on the “Portfolio for Youth Well-being and Prosperity” developed by UNDP in collaboration with the Djiboutian government. On this occasion, UNDP announced the award of 200 Coursera training licenses for young Djiboutians, to equip them for the jobs of tomorrow. In her remarks, the Minister of Youth and Culture, Ms Fardoussa Moussa Egueh, stressed that traditional sectoral responses were no longer sufficient, and that the portfolio had been designed according to an integrated and systemic approach, drawn from broad consultation with young people through the Community Development Committees.

“The Portfolio for the Well-being and Prosperity of Youth embodies an innovative and inclusive model that acts on ecosystems and transforms a multitude of initiatives into a coherent whole, carrying value and hope for young people,” said Dr Abdallah Al-Dardari at the signing ceremony at the National Assembly.

In his address, the President of the National Assembly, Mr Dileita Mohamed Dileita, affirmed that the declaration signed carried a clear ambition: to strengthen the well-being, participation and prosperity of young Djiboutian women and men. “Through this cooperation, we choose a model that places young people not on the margins, but at the very heart of national transformation. We choose a future built with them, for them and by them,” he said.

At the Djibouti Chamber of Commerce (CCD), a round table co-organized with the Embassy of France and co-moderated by the President of the CCD, Mr Youssouf Moussa Dawaleh, and the Ambassador of France, Mr Jérôme Bresson, brought together around a dozen business leaders on three themes: sustainable development goals and the private sector, digitalization and human capital, and business competitiveness. Ambassador Bresson highlighted the paradox of sustained growth, of around 6 percent, that is not yet fully reflected in the Human Development Index. UNDP presented a new Private Sector Window and a range of SDG-linked financing instruments, and announced the launch of training programmes for youth employability.

The visit also included an audience with the President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, focused notably on Djibouti’s role as a pole of regional stability. The programme further comprised a working lunch with the ambassadors of Arab countries, devoted to the Red Sea Strategy, a meeting with the Minister for Women and the Family, Ms Hana Farah Assoweh, on the national gender policy and the modernization of the CASAF centres, as well as a diplomatic corps reception at the Mezz Tower.

At the end of the visit, Dr Al-Dardari met the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr José Barahona, and the entire UNDP Djibouti team, led by the Resident Representative, Ms Alessandra Roccasalvo, whom he congratulated on the success of this mission. UNDP reaffirms its commitment to supporting Djibouti in implementing its country programme 2025-2030 and the Djibouti Vision 2035, through the deployment of the Youth Portfolio, dialogue with the private sector, and new South-South cooperation avenues, to turn these commitments into concrete results for the Djiboutian people.