The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Yemen – in partnership with the Youth Leadership Development Foundation(YLDF) – is pleased to launch YLP8, the eighth edition of the Youth Leadership Programme 2022!

Are you a social entrepreneur with an innovative business idea or do you have an innovative solution to address a social challenge in your community? Do you want to learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Do you want to meet other young leaders? Do you want to learn how to improve the design of your solution and implement projects that will help your communities? Or do you want to learn how to improve your business idea and how you could implement it in reality?

If so, we want to hear from you!

What is the Youth Leadership Programme?

In 2015, UNDP in the Arab States launched the Youth Leadership Programme to empower young people and support them to design and implement innovative, impactful, and sustainable development solutions – whether in the form of social enterprises, nonprofits, NGOs, initiatives, social entrepreneurship, or campaigns.

As such, UNDP Yemen is looking to engage and nurture the Yemeni entrepreneurs and Yemen’s young people who are involved in tackling the most difficult challenges of our time and who contribute to achieving the goals of sustainable development.

The programme will support and empower Yemen’s young change-makers to design and implement innovative, effective, and sustainable development solutions. It aims to:

• Accelerate implementation of pioneering solutions for sustainable development; and,
• Build networks of young women and men who can create change and have a positive, sustainable impact in their communities.

2022 Theme: Transforming the future of young people through quality education and gender equality

The YLP8 theme focuses on access to quality education (SDG4) and gender equality (SDG5) as a means of transforming the future of young men and women in Yemen. The programme supports youth community builders and social entrepreneurs.

1. Community builders

Young Yemenis have developed grassroots innovations that address gaps in the availability of essential services in their communities. Youth have shown that they can play a valuable role as an innovator or agent of change, and that their contribution should be actively supported and seen as part of building peaceful communities.

2. Social entrepreneurs

Yemen suffers from high youth unemployment. We recognize that entrepreneurship and innovation are essential to harness the economic potential of every nation but for entrepreneurship to thrive, a conducive business environment is needed. The programme helps introduce and promote metrics geared toward SDG impact in business and promoting more sustainable private sector development over time.

Participation: Bringing opportunities

By joining the programme, you will:

• Be a part of a dynamic network of young and innovative Yemeni leaders who desire to help the country build forward better. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in the programme with other young leaders from the Arab region and will have extensive opportunities to not only implement your ideas for social change but also develop your leadership potential.
• Develop your skills in social innovation approaches and methodologies as well as increase your skills in problem-solving, communication and leadership, strengthen your presentation abilities, and increase your understanding of emotional intelligence.
• Help expand your SDG knowledge.
• Learn more about wellbeing and mental health, and its role in creating effective change.
• Play a role in achieving the global SDGs!
• Receive a participation certificate.

Finally, the best two projects (one from each each area above) from each governorate will receive US$ 2000. committed participants may have the chance to attend the regional workshops.

Eligibility Criteria

Both women and men applicants that meet the requirements below are encouraged to apply here. The application deadline is Friday , 11 November 2022. Women and people living with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Between 19 – 29 years of age
• Fluency in Arabic
• Yemeni nationality living in Mukalla
• Have an innovative solution or social entrepreneurship idea/project that contributes to achieving the SDGs and 2030 Agenda
• Highly motivated and interested in social change
• No experience necessary to apply
• The ability to commit within the programme period (November - December 2022)   

For questions, please contact: YLP8@YLDF.org

About our Partners

The Youth Leadership Development Foundation is a Yemeni non-governmental, non-profit organization established to encourage young people, especially marginalized groups and girls, to participate in the development of Yemen by expressing their views. This is particularly important where young people represent a large segment of population but do not play a significant role in the decision-making process.

“A Yemen in which skilled, well qualified and active young women and men play leadership roles in all domains of society and enable Yemenis to contribute to a better world. Its goal  is “the full potential of Yemeni youth are unlocked and they are able to meet their social and economic aspirations to play leadership role in society.”