BY MBONGENI NDLELA
MBABANE – The Minister of Sports, Culture, and Youth Affairs Harries Bulunga recently opened a workshop to develop the Operational Plan for the National Youth Policy. Participants of the workshop include youth representatives from the country’s four regions as well as representatives from Government Ministries, NGOs & other partners in the youth sector including USAID, JA & Catalyze, among others.
The Operational Plan will help translate Policy Statements into tangible youth development work on the ground. The Workshop is led by the Ministry of Sports, Culture & Youth Affairs and held with support from UNFPA Eswatini.
Speaking During the event, Minister Bulunga said “It is deeply pleasing to see you as partners come together with us in the spirit of sharing. We are here sharing resources, time & knowledge. I have no doubt that if this spirit underpins this entire workshop & the implementation thereafter, we will, together, herald a new era of intense youth development in our beloved Kingdom.”
“It was in the Speech from the Throne where His Majesty made the call to, ‘accelerate efforts to continue creating an enabling empowerment environment for the youth’s innovation and creativity to flourish.’ This is a call to action to all of us. As you deliberate here over the course of the next few days, I urge you to firmly fix your eyes on the creation of this enabling environment for our young people to thrive.” continued Minister Bulunga.
He added, “I am pleased to note that in this workshop we are joined by youth representatives from Eswatini’s four regions. This is very important and aligns itself with our commitment to putting our youth firmly in the centre of the search for sustainable solutions to the challenges they face.”
UNFPA Eswatini Rep Dr. Bongani Dlamini reiterated that “UNFPA remains committed in delivering a world where young people’s potential is fulfilled.” The Eswatini National Youth Policy was developed after wide ranging consultations with a variety of stakeholders including the country’s youth.
