Following early successes and positive experiences over recent months in piloting the Doha Declaration Global Programme's 'Line Up Live Up' curriculum in Brazil, on-the-ground work recently started in South Africa. Consultations held with a wide array of Government and non-Governmental actors at both national and provincial levels not only affirmed the recognized need for additional youth crime prevention initiatives but also highlighted the range of opportunities and potential synergies in the country to link up with.
In mid-May, UNODC organized its first Youth Dialogue event in Brasilia as part of the Office's ongoing work in using sports as a tool to counter youth crime through the development of vital life skills. Bringing together over 20 adolescents aged 11 to 17 from Olympic Centers that serve under-privileged communities, the group discussed how sports influence their lives and how UNODC can ultimately use this as a vehicle to build resilience of at-risk youth and prevent them from engaging in violence, crime and drug use.