Young People in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: From Policy to Action

Rome, May 21-25, 2007

More than 230 representatives of governments and youth organizations met in Rome for the regional ECA Youth Conference. They represented 29 countries and Kosovo in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The conference was sponsored by the World Bank, and the Italian Development Cooperation, in collaboration with the International Labor Organization.
The Conference focused on the policy implications of the World Bank's 2007 World Development Report Development and the Next Generation , particularly in reference to the "transition to work" and "transition to citizenship". The Rome meeting marked an important stage of the “Development and the Next Generation” program, initiated by the World Bank to alert political leaders around the globe to the need to invest in young people so that they become an active part in their countries’ development.

This is how an Uzbek delegate to the Conference feels about the event: " It was a pleasure for me to take part in this conference. I had so many impressions which it’s difficult to explain with a word. I got acquainted with the Government and NGO representatives from the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Russia. We discussed such problems as youth unemployment and the activities undertaken in ECA region. An NGO representative from Bosnia and Herzegovina said that they had had bad consequences of civic war which took place after the collapsing of Yugoslavia. It’s, I think, a big issue which we must pay an attention to in the future. Any wars are dangerous not only for people’s life, but also for their social-political activities in society.

ECA region faced so many challenges to solve these problems. For example, Albanian participants argued on how to work with young people when young people were idle.
I should sincerely thank all organizers for their good job and the Rome city representatives who tried to show us “magic” Rome".

The Conference was also the venue for the 2007 Innovation Grants Competition Connecting Youth to Work and Citizenship Opportunities, which funds innovative youth initiatives in the region. The Competition had been sponsored by NOKIA and the World Bank Small Grants Program. The Conference closed on May 24 with an awards ceremony for the winners of the Competition. All the contestants were young people between the ages of 15 and 24 from the ECA region who have put forward development project proposals for their countries.

Uzbekistan was presented by two projects competing for the Innovation Grant.  One of them was awarded funding for project, which aims to teach and equip with professional skills (by means of integration) 60 females in the age range of 15-24 (30 females –disabled people, 30 females from deprived and unfortunate families mostly from vulnerable groups of population. The teaching will involve four professional directions (ceramics, sewing, hand art and carpet weaving).  The girls will also be provided lectures on work ethics and work attitude development, so that they can find jobs and earn some income.

One of the Innovation Grant finalists from Uzbekistan narrates: " Youth Conference 2007 in Rome brought together very interesting young people from all around the Europe and Central Asia. The event provided an opportunity for multicultural dialogue between the youth having similar problems and concerns. Actually I learned about the European youth before but didn't know the reality about them Now I understand Mark Twain's popular saying "Travel is fatal to prejudice and short-mindedness" as I participated and got deep comprehension of Youth Policy in my country and others as well. I participated at this event as a World Bank 2007 Innovation Grants Competition semi-finalist and introduced my project on Youth Unemployment. The experts from World Bank and Nokia helped me to evaluate the actuality of my project more accurately and objectively.
The skills and friendship relations that I acquired at the conference will enforce my abilities and opportunities in the future of my working life. I hope and believe I can give more to my community now.
Rome appeared more picturesque and impressing to me than I expected. It is more like an open museum with wonderful remaining of the first civilization of humanity than just a city full of houses built of mortar and bricks".