The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country Representative, Ghana, Anne-Claire Dufay, says the United Nations (UN) is committed to partnering young people in the country for the implementation of the UN Youth 2030 Strategy Plan.

Speaking in a virtual meeting, Madam Dufay said the Plan sought to significantly strengthen UN’s capacity to engage young people and benefit from their views, insights and ideas.

According to her, it also ensured that UN’s work on youth issues was pursued in a coordinated, coherent and holistic manner to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

“We are here to support you to make sure you have a voice,” she added.

 Ewuramma Tawiah, President, Federation of Ghana Medical Students Association, said young people were challenged in areas of youth unemployment, sexual reproductive health issues as well as lack of financial support to set up businesses.

She urged the youth to volunteer on UN programmes, adding that, “volunteering will build us up and create opportunities for the future.”

Ms Tawiah called for more capacity building sections, especially for rural dwellers and increase funding to organisation that provided services to the youth.

The Executive Director, Ulti-Leaf Foundation, Akwasi Sarpong, said the lack of civil skills, technology and social protection schemes for the youth made it difficult for them to form rightful partnerships and networking in the society.

He called for the “Youth Civil Pledge,” where mentors would pledge to get involved in the upbringing of the youthful population.

The Co-Founder and Innovation Lead, Nubian VR, Kabiru Saidu, said the UN should work to build trust in the African Youth and offer welfare packages and social intervention programmes.

A participant also said lack of employable skills, mentorship and guidance, Jemima Mornuu, challenged young people’s capability of finding jobs, adding that, most of them mainly rural folks, had limited access to the right information.

“The youth should not be deprived of information when this happens, they become curious and vulnerable, which exposes them to preventable dangers,” she said.