Marking the 75^th year of the UN, and 5 years of the Sustainable Goals, This September –   millions of people across the world took action together while world leaders meet (virtually) at the UN General Assembly, to make this a turning point for people and the planet. This was a global call to people and organizations everywhere to take action for the Sustainable Development Goals

At UNA Tanzania, partnering with our youth wing YUNA Tanzania, 0n 19^th September 2020, we used this once in time opportunity to engage with the society online through an educative  platform online known as Elimika Wikiendi, highlighting what as an organization has achieved in the previous 5 years of the SDGs, aspiration and a call to more action, commitment and ambition for the next 10 years of the delivery of the goals.

The Online engagement met more than 1 million social media users, while also engaging with SDG champions, giving their experience and of what impact they have been in ensuring the SDGs are known to the society.

Tanzania is a young nation with more than 50% of its population aged below 35. While acknowledging that youth are significant assets for Tanzania’s attainment of Tanzania development Vision (Vision 2025), the National Youth Development Policy recognizes the importance of preparing them as leaders and partners to drive the force, and to play a vital role in the socio-economic transformation of the nation.

 The Vision 2025 can be realized if Tanzanians (including youth) capitalize on their strengths, engage the appropriate driving forces for development, and effectively avoid the impediments, which have held back their development.

The panelists of the session gave insights on the following:

• How the government, private sectors and institutions addresses young people’s impediments in its diversity.

• How and if Tanzania youth are given enough spaces and capacity to contribute and deliver to the development priorities set in the Vision 2025.

• What can be done to unleash young people’s potential towards achieving inclusive development in Tanzania.

Our Secretary General, Reynald Maeda who is also the co-chair of the CSOs working group (East African Region) for the African Regional Forum for Sustainable Development stressed that youth have available opportunities that we need to take and work on them for a sustainable future:

• The National Youth Development Policy 2007 Review
• The Coming Five Year Development Plan III (2020/21 – 2024/25)
• The Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

During the launch of the ‘Agenda ya Vijana’, for 3 consecutive days, UNA Tanzania facilitated the attendance and supported capacity strengthening sessions, 124 young aspirants from 7 major political parties CCM,CHADEMA,NCCR Mageuzi, ACT Wazalendo, TLP, CUF, ADC from  8 different regions in Tanzania.

As 2020, marks the General Election Year in Tanzania it was encouraging to see a big wave of young people stepping forward and taking different positions in their respective parties.

The Capacity Strengthening was based on the following topics:

1. Motivation to Become a Political Leader/ Elected Representative
2. Political System and Electoral System in TZ
3. Integrating SDGs in Decision Making
4. Networking, Social Capital & Stakeholder Relations
5. Election Strategy and Communication Skills
6. Political Strategies and Techniques for Campaigning
7. Gender in Elections
8. Techniques on fundraising for campaigns

With the training of this group, we believe they are the future decision makers, policy makers, government officials that will find importance in sustainability and the development of young people in leadership and decision making but also working in line with the aspirations to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030.

Here’s a link to the Tanzania Youth Manifesto 2020/2025 (Click here)

Partnering with 12 other youth leading and serving organizations who work in different sectors of development, on the August 17, 2020 we launched a Tanzanian Youth Manifesto a voice from over 2209 online consultations from 30 regions in Tanzania. The main priority for the manifesto is being:

• Youth and Education: Education for all
• Youth and Health: Our Health Matters
• Youth and Livelihood: Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!
• Youth and Leadership: Include us!
• Youth and Information: Give us access!

A group of 350 young people came together from different backgrounds and regions in Tanzania, young women and people with disabilities inclusive to be part, to learn and understand the Manifesto and the Young people’s position and opportunities to the next Five Year Development Plan III.

Not only was it the launching but also an opportunity for young people provided with capacity building for intense 3 days training based on their field of interest and work;

1. Youth Candidates and Aspirants
2. Voter’s Education & Election Observation
3. Young Reporters
4. Youth CSOs & Youth Influencers

We believe that by bringing together the young candidates, journalists, influencers, CSOs, the government and developing partners will give us the advocacy tools we need to fuel our agenda for the next 5 years.

The theme of this year’s IYD “Youth Engagement for Global Action” focuses to see how young people are engaged in the local, national and global levels as an advantage to national and multilateral institutions and processes, as well as the impact they have on how their representation and engagement in formal institutional politics can be significantly enhanced.

On this day, we partnered with other youth led organizations to commemorate this day. Virtually and Physically, our representatives, Goodluck and Godfrida highlighted on the enormous work that we do for the youth in providing awareness and information on the economic rights and opportunities from the international level streamlined to the national and local level especially on the 10% Local Government Empowerment Fund to Youth, Women and People with Disabilities (4-4-2) respectively.

Objectives of these commemorations include;

• To stimulate the positivity of youth to gain more courage and rethink of new strategies to move forward after the pandemic.
• To raise youth voices on cross-cutting issues that needs to be addressed
• To share experience and ideas among youths who are doing transformative initiatives which address social challenges amid COVID-19 pandemic.
• Reflecting youth engagement and involvement in global actions.

The public dialogue was held on August 12^th, 2020 Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam from 09:00am to 01:30pm, bringing together 167 people from different youth groups, people living with disabilities (PLWDs), CSOs and universities with focusing on Youth Civic Pacification, Youth Skills and Economic Empowerment, Health and Peace Building.