Nicaragua: National Development Capacities for Improving Employment and Self-Employment Opportunities for Young People

 

This Joint Programme worked with the government to improve young Nicaraguans' access to decent employment, especially those living in socially vulnerable conditions in urban and rural areas, and thereby helped to counteract the negative effects of migration.

The programme focused on ensuring young people's labour and social integration and building comprehensive intervention models that will be sustainable at local level. With active participation by young people, the programme strengthened institutional capacities in order to place youth employment and migration firmly on the national agenda. 

The programme, considered a pilot project, was implemented in eleven municipalities, and included complex processes of promotion, selection, training, funding and employment for vulnerable young people between 14 and 25 years. It was closely linked to national and local initiatives that were supported by cooperation agencies, national government and municipal authority agencies. 
 
In addition to direct actions for young people and improving the ratio of youth labor supply and demand, the programme contributed to national policy processes for youth employment, such as outreach and support for the implementation of the National Plan for Decent Work for Youth, capacity building of public servants and the generation of qualitative and quantitative information on the state of youth migration.
 
Main achievements of the programme were:
 
  • A major achievement was the adoption and institutionalization of the Plan for Decent Work for Youth in Nicaragua (2012 - 2016), and the National Youth Employment Commission (CNEJ), which ensure the sustainability of the intervention, and the establishment of the institutional agenda and methodological mechanisms for youth employment issues.
  • The programme was able to reach 6,872 youth directly. Some 2000 youths were trained in entrepreneurship, thus promoting the creation of new enterprises. More than 1,700 young people got access to credit.
  • Specialized technical assistance and funding for the implementation of businesses was provided.
  • With the support of seed capital, 180 youth micro-enterprises were established, employing 699 youth of which 53% were female and 47% male. 40 youth cooperatives were formed with 800 members. Nine of these initiatives were undertaken by young people with disabilities.
  • The National Youth Employment Plan was incorporated in the medium-term budgetary framework of the central government and the National Human Development Plan 2012-2016.
  • An information campaign was implemented on the rights of young migrants and migration risks, with the slogan "Where you go, also will my rights".
 
 

Click for more detailed results from the Joint Programmes in Nicaragua (in Spanish).

 

 

The Joint Programme in action

JOINT PROGRAMME QUICK FACTS

Programme Dates 01 Jul 2009 - 31 Mar 2013
Net funded amount $5,609,258
Participating UN agencies FAO, ILO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNIDO, UNWTO
National partners INJUVE: Instituto Nicaragüense de la Juventud, MITRAB: Ministerio del Trabajo, INATEC: Instituto Nacional Tecnológico, MIGOB-DGME: Ministerio de Gobernación – Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, INIDE: Instituto Nicaragüense de Información para el Desarrollo, INTA: Instituto Nicaragüense de Tecnología Agropecuaria, INPYME: Instituto Nicaragüense de Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas, INTUR: Instituto Nicaragüense de Turismo, INFOCOOP: Instituto Nicaragüense de Fomento Cooperativo
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