The USAID Policy on Youth in Development outlines two main objectives: 1. Strengthen youth programming, participation, and partnerships to support development goals. 2. Mainstream and integrate youth issues across agency initiatives by engaging young people in program design and implementation. The policy aims to improve youth capacities and opportunities so they can contribute to more stable, democratic, and prosperous societies. It focuses on challenges like economic opportunities, learning, health, and peace, and establishes principles of supporting youth needs, protecting them from harm, preparing them for the future, and creating ways for them to participate.

1. USAID Policy on
Youth In Development
October 2012

2. Outline of the Policy
I. Introduction: Youth In Development; Who
are Youth
II. Challenges and Opportunity: A Global
Snapshot
III. Goals and Objectives; Applying Selectivity
IV. Achieving Objective 1: Framework and
Principles
V. Achieving Objective 2: Tactics to
Mainstream and Integrate
VI. Agency Roles and Coordination
VII.Conclusion and Annexes

3. Challenges and Opportunities in Youth
• Realizing a Demographic Dividend
• Youth Economic Opportunity
• Youth Learning
• Youth Health
• Youth and Peace and Security

4. Policy Goal
USAID will improve the capacities and
enable the aspirations of youth so that
they can contribute to and benefit from
more stable, democratic, and
prosperous communities and nations.

5. Policy objectives
1. Strengthen youth programming,
participation and partnership in support
of Agency development objectives.
2. Mainstream and integrate youth issues
and engage young people across
Agency initiatives and operations.

6. Outcomes among Youth
• Youth are better able to access economic and social
opportunities, share in economic growth, live healthy
lives, and contribute to household, community, and
national well-being.
• Youth are empowered to participate in building
peaceful and democratic societies and are less
involved in youth gangs, criminal networks, and
insurgent organizations.
• Youth have a stronger voice in, and are better served
by, local and national institutions, with more robust
and youth-friendly policies.

7. Achieving Objective One:
Conceptual Framework
Support Meeting basic youth developmental needs and
valuing their contributions
Protect Preventing and responding to violence, exploitation,
abuse and neglect; and ensuring young people are
safe and cared for
Prepare Building youth competencies and skills needed to
become informed, healthy and productive citizens
Engage Creating channels for dialogue and participation to
enable youth to contribute to their own and their
communities’ development

8. • Recognize youth participation as vital
• Invest in assets and resilience
• Account for differences and commonalities
• Create second chances
• Involve and support mentors, family, and
communities
• Pursue gender equality
• Embrace youth innovation and technology
Achieving Objective One:
Guiding Principles

9. Achieving Objective Two
•Mainstream youth into core initiatives
•Integrate youth issues and participation throughout the
design and development of programs
•Expand support for local youth-led and youth-serving
organizations
•Strengthen the capacity of local governments and
ministries to address youth
•Improving monitoring, research and evaluation
•Agency Roles and Coordination

10. Policy available at:
http://transition.usaid.gov/our_wo
rk/policy_planning_and_learning/
documents/Youth_in_Developme
nt_Policy.pdf