UNFPA with support of YIA BiH established Youth Advisory Panel – YAP (09.11.2006.)

On November 9th, 2006 in Sarajevo, establishing of Youth Advisory Panel of United Nations Population Fond in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNFPA). Members od YAP are ten dedicated young people from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, people of different interests, age, gender and level of education. 

Basic goals of YAP are achieving the best possible results in the area of youth politics and SRH of youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina. YAP's task is to give suggestions and participate in decision making and lobbying on the state level in the area of SRH of youth and their rights, to articulate real needs and interests of the youth.

YAP establishes an open dialog, the exchange of information between UNFPA and the youth, in order to ensure stronger involvement of youth in the development of such politics. Although it is formed as an advisory body, YAP plans to have an active role in creating this policy and to contribute in enforcing the rights of youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This is exactly why the role of YAP in this area was stressed at the constitutional meeting, through the research and analysis of the current situation, lobbying at the highest levels of government, and «filling the holes» in the work of existing UNFPA programmes. At the mentioned meeting, the mission and activities of UNFPA were presented on global as well as on local BiH level, along with some programmes which are currently being implemented within UNFPA.

For the purpose of defining the function and the role of YAP, results from questionnaires filled by YAP members were used. They were to fill them before the meeting, expressing their own opinion regarding the role of YAP, stressing the following important elements of such role: work on the awareness of the youth, education, „expressing my opinion regarding SRH issues and the status of the youth“, analysis of the position of the youth and research on needs, introducing basic facts of SRH into the lives of youth, team work, motivation, improving of the current state, actual state politics – curriculum in schools. Questionnaires also pointed out what is necessary for them in order to accomplish their role within the YAP, and those are: education, good communication among members, research, motivation, high level of cooperation, adequate informing, actual tasks and working plan, actual tasks and team work.

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