22 May 2022 - Cairo, Egypt

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (ROMENA), in cooperation with relevant ministries and stakeholders from countries in the region, has launched the regional project "Youth 4 Impact". The project will help young men and women, including those marginalized and at risk, to become more empowered to face life's challenges and to be more resilient against crime, violence and drugs. The project will be active in a number of countries in the region, including Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, and Sudan, over a period of two years with the support of the German Federal Ministry of Development and Economic Cooperation (BMZ).

The launch ceremony was attended by Dr. Nevin Al-Kabbaj, Minister of Social Solidarity (Egypt), Mr. Essam Al-Kadoumy, Secretary-General of Higher Council of Youth and Sports (Palestine), and Ms. Cristina Albertin, UNODC Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa.

“Youth 4 Impact” is the first UNODC regional project specifically aimed at supporting young men and women. The initiative is an expression of UNODC’s commitment to expand engagement with and for youth as well as to support building Member States’ institutional capacities in prevention under the umbrella of its Regional Programme to Prevent and Combat Crime, Terrorism and Health Threats and Strengthen Criminal Justice Systems.

The launch of "Youth 4 Impact" is followed by the first of the project’s regional workshops, namely "Strong Families" and "Line Up! Live Up!", in Cairo from 22 to 26 May 2022, held in cooperation with the Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA) of the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity. The workshops were attended by about 40 specialists from the participating countries who work in the field of preventing youth involvement in violence, crime and drugs through sports, art and psychosocial support.

The two-part workshop was designed to provide a complementary and comprehensive level of prevention. "Strong Families” focuses on building family skills, especially for those living in stressful contexts, bringing a sense of safety, promoting positive mental health, and building the resilience of children and youth in risky behavior such as drug use, violence and crime. The second workshop, "Line Up! Live Up!" builds important personal, social and emotional skills for young people to develop resilience to engaging or re-engaging in risky behaviors through various innovative methods involving sports.

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