Youth sector development and innovation strategy of Chișinău Municipality for the years 2023-2028

The purpose of the Strategy is to create favorable conditions for the development of young people, offering opportunities for participation in decision-making processes, as well as access to a wide and diverse range of services for this population group.

The document was developed with the support of experts contracted by UNICEF Moldova and was publicly consulted at multiple stages. The Strategy envisages the consolidation and guidance of actions by the Chișinău local public authorities (APL) in the youth sector for the years 2023-2028.

The vision of the new Strategy is to have a city where all young people are active, capable of realizing their rights, maximizing their potential, and contributing to building a peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable community.

Achieving the outlined objectives can be ensured by providing all young people in the municipality, especially the most vulnerable, with adequate support to consolidate their autonomy, realize their rights and full potential, as well as ensure access to youth-friendly services (in areas such as health, participation, volunteering, leisure, entrepreneurship, etc.).

The Strategy has identified 7 priorities to be developed through the Implementation Plan:

• Increasing the level of involvement and participation of young people;
• Facilitating young people's access to personal development programs through 21st-century skills;
• Ensuring inclusion through education for tolerance, democracy, and gender education;
• Supporting youth organizations and the associative sector;
• Developing entrepreneurial skills and economic empowerment of young people;
• Creating conditions for the development of a healthy lifestyle and promoting well-being among young people;
• Educating young people as promoters of peace, security, civic engagement, through volunteering.

The Strategy is based on an extensive analysis of factors and issues that slow down or hinder the development of the youth sector and young people in Chișinău municipality, the main commitments undertaken at the local and national levels in the youth sector, trends, and best practices in working with young people at the national level.

The beneficiaries of the approved document are the residents of Chișinău municipality aged between 14 and 35.