Today, Ms. Naomi Kitahara, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative, Mr. G. Unurbayar, State Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Mr. J. Lkhagvasuren, Deputy Governor of Chingeltei District, Ms Chimedtsogzol, Deputy Governor of Chingeltei District, and youth and local community members officially launched the new site of the Youth Development Center (YDC) in Chingeltei District of Ulaanbaatar City in Mongolia.

This YDC will provide training on life skills, support young people in developing practical, relevant job skills, provide counselling in sexual and reproductive health, communication and psychology and career guidance, and enable young people to meaningfully participate in decisions affecting them, while providing a fun, safe atmosphere for local young people.

“UNFPA supports YDCs because Mongolia has the largest number of young people in history, and so does Chingeltei District,” explains Ms. Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative, highlighted at the opening ceremony of Youth Development Center.

In 2013, the Government of Mongolia and UNFPA started implementing the Youth Development Project (2013-2017), funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Government of Luxembourg, Oyu Tolgoi, the Government of Mongolia and UNFPA. The project aims to help young people acquire life skills, and grow as a responsible, positive and self-reliant person, to have a quality life, and contribute positively to the development of the community and the country. One of the main vehicles for achieving this is the Youth Development Centers. The project has established 16 YDCs across the country so far, in selected 11 provinces, 2 soum and 3 districts of Ulaanbaatar.

This particular YDC provisionally started its operations in 2015, when the staff were recruited to provide life skills training and counselling and organize support groups, interest clubs and many other amazing activities for youth. While still searching for a suitable location to house the YDC, they have proactively set up support groups for young mothers and adolescent girls, interest clubs for music lovers, and youth panels in all its 19 khoroos of Chingeltei District. Their example shows that when one is committed, there is a lot one can do to contribute to the development of young people in a community.

Ms. Kitahara says that, “We are privileged to be able to support young people in Chingeltei by establishing the YDC, providing all the necessary furniture and equipment, materials and toolkits, and financial and technical support for the activities, and for the training of the YDC staff. The YDC will network and link with youth friendly health clinics and other existing services for young people such as employment and education to reach a comprehensive set of results for the well-being of young people”.

The successful implementation and functioning of the YDC will bring forth real and positive changes in young people’s lives.

About UNFPA (www.mongolia.unfpa.org)

UNFPA is the UN agency delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA Mongolia currently implements the 6th Country Programme 2017-2021, closely in line with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Mongolia.