Our Work

Our main priorities and initiatives focus on:

Participation: The participation of young people in decision-making is integral to our work.

Research: Strengthening the ability of young people and their networks, governments and civil society partners to adopt the evidence-based approach to youth policy development and implementation.

Sport: Use sport and physical activity to address social exclusion, HIV/AIDS and professional youth work.

Technology: Strengthen the ability of young people and their networks, governments and civil society to take advantage of technological opportunities to bring about change and improve efficiency and effectiveness of youth development programmes and interventions. (For example, in India and Pakistan we have introduced 'CYPTEC Wheels' vans that are fitted with computers, which drive to rural areas bringing awareness of technology to disadvantaged sections of society. This project helps train the unemployed youth force and provides them with better job opportunities. They learn the basics of computers and enhance their skills, thus enabling them to contribute in the national economic growth as well as their individual/family economic growth).

Standards: Develop strategies and standards to facilitate sharing of best practice to enhance the youth development agenda.

Across the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth Youth Programme operates through a central office at the Commonwealth Secretariat and four regional centres: in Zambia (for Africa), India (for Asia), Guyana (for the Caribbean) and Solomon Islands (for the Pacific)

Click here for homepages of all four regional centres.

Who this work affects

Our work affects those in Youth Development; we primarily work with Youth Ministries, Youth Development Professionals and Youth leaders in Commonwealth countries.

Working with other organisations

We have established partnerships with several development organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the European Union for the implementation of programmes across the Commonwealth. We also have partnerships with international, multilateral, governmental, intergovernmental, non-governmental, community and youth organisations across the regions such as the Pacific Forum, the Caribbean Community and the African Union.

These relationships help us:

• Exercise influence and improve our advocacy and lobbying position
• Mobilise resources and improve the delivery of our programmes
• Create networks to develop consensus
• Promote organisational growth and development
• Produce a common vision on youth development issues facing the international community.

The Commonwealth Youth Programme and UNICEF are working together to mainstream youth participation in various development projects worldwide. UNICEF/CYP training materials have been designed with the aim of involving adolescents and young people in situation analysis; project planning; project implementation and project monitoring and evaluation.