Europe and Central Asia

Equipping women and girls with the competencies needed in emerging and established business areas is critical to closing the existing skills, pay gap and employment gaps. In Uzbekistan, the  digital skills gap between men and women is 24% , and  unemployment impacts women (17.2%) more than men (12.1%) . Digital skills present new opportunities for…

It is another busy day at the office of one of Dushanbe's local marketing companies. A portrait of Steve Jobs with his famous quote  “Stay hungry, stay foolish”  stares at everyone who enters the office space .  A team of young developers and graphic designers work elbow to elbow at a table almost as big as the room itself.  The sounds of typing…, From UPSHIFT to “BizKids”, Khusrav Malangov, 20, is a young person from Vakhdat city, who moved to Dushanbe to further his education and follow his dreams. Like half a million other young people in Tajikistan who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), Khusrav was struggling to find employment. Khusrav was looking for a training programme to help him develop…, Sustainable livelihood and economic resilience  , Since “BiZKids” began operations in 2022, Khusrav has had a stable source of income from enrollment fees. Because of its financial sustainability, Khusrav has hired five full-time employees - training facilitators, marketers, and sales managers - enabling other young people to become economically resilient. Today, Khusrav is more financially…, Building a network of future young entrepreneurs in Tajikistan, “I’ll beautifully wrap my product and make it more appealing, so that my customer spreads by word of mouth the virtues of my product and brings me more customers.”- said 13-year- old Madina, a “BizKids” participant, when the director of the marketing company asked her about her sales strategy. Meanwhile, Khusrav is excitedly encouraging young…, The importance of the right skills for economic growth, Tajikistan has one of the youngest populations in Central Asia. Young people under the age of 35 make up 70 percent of the population. In 2018, young people said the biggest obstacles to achieving their dreams included lack of financial resources (29 percent) and limited access to training opportunities in rural areas (16 percent). To realize the…

“When I see Anastasia out there, I know I can be sure everything is under control,” says Andrea, coordinator of the CATTIA Blue Dot Centre for Ukrainian refugees in Brasov, Romania, while she dynamically walks through the bright hallways of the two-storey building that hosts the hub. Nastia follows behind. Her voice resounds just above those of…

The Youth in Europe Bulletin focuses on the activities conducted by, with, and for young people in the response to the emergency in Ukraine and neighbouring countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia). It highlights the key results of programmes and initiatives UNICEF is…

Zofia, 20, paces in front of the Blue Dot at the humanitarian centre for refugees from Ukraine in Przemyśl, Poland. Blue Dots are safe spaces along border crossings that provide children and families with critical information and services. Mobile phone in hand, she listens attentively as a caller speaks on the other side. She asks questions in…, About the World Organization of the Scout Movement, Scouting is the world’s leading educational youth movement, engaging millions of young people to be active citizens and create positive change in their communities. The Scout Movement is made up of more than 57 million Scouts, including 2 million who are active in the European Scout Region. The role of the Region is to support its 40 Member…

Choosing to stay Matylda, 22, calmly oversees some of her peers as they move food items at the Krakow Główny railway station, in Poland. Her attentive eyes gaze at every movement made by Scouts* and refugees alike, making sure that not a single request made by refugees remains unattended. “When the war started, I was terrified,” she says. “History…, About the World Organization of the Scout Movement, Scouting is the world’s leading educational youth movement, engaging millions of young people to be active citizens and create positive change in their communities. The Scout Movement is made up of more than 57 million Scouts, including 2 million who are active in the European Scout Region. The role of the Region is to support its 40 Member…

Every day, thousands of people fleeing the war in Ukraine arrive at Lviv railway station, in the west. Most of them are women with children. Some wait for connecting trains to other parts of Ukraine or abroad, while others stay in Lviv itself. Volunteers like 16-year-old Solomia work hard to greet the new arrivals, offering food and crucial advice…

Young people have been among those most socially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic but, at the same time, also the most prepared to cope with the quick shift towards virtual environments that the pandemic created. For many young people in the Europe and Central Asia Region, COVID-19 interrupted their schooling, left them jobless, and has made it…

About the author: Aidar Batyrbekov, 21, is a third year student at the International IT University (IITU) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, majoring in Computer Science   In Kazakhstan, innovations are gaining momentum. Nowadays young people enjoy access to information and modern technologies, challenged with virtually no barriers or borders for their…

BUCHAREST, May 7 th 2019 - Over 60 children across the European Union and dozens of child rights experts, European high-level officials and civil society representatives are attending “Children's Participation in Decision-Making and Policy-Making at European Union level” international conference taking place in Bucharest on 6 and 7 May which lays…

This is a platform for young people from Europe and Central Asia to share their opinions and experiences and offer solutions to the challenges they face. All views expressed here belong to the authors, and do not represent the views of UNICEF.

Kader Diabate, a 19-year-old from Côte D’Ivoire, dreams big. A self-described “dreamer migrant,” he is looking to change the lives for the millions of children and young people who have been uprooted from their homes. Having himself left his home country two years ago, in search of a better future, and eventually arriving in Italy, Kader has been…