Youth led evaluations: taking stock and looking ahead

Young people are our future leaders. Their contribution and leadership in preventing and
resolving conflict and violence are essential to building sustainable peace (Cordaid, 2015).
Current needs assessments processes including the UN Multi Cluster Initial Rapid Assessment
(MIRA) do not ensure the systematic consultation of children and youth. This commonly results
in the outputs of such assessments failing to include the unique perspectives and experiences
of children and youth. Not involving children and youth in such efforts means they cannot
influence policies and programs that affect them, and offer a different perspective from adults.
It does not help policy makers and planners understand youth and children’s issues, thereby
helping ensure policies and services are in tune with their needs. As such a critical question
remains: how do we effectively support children and youth, and give them opportunities to
make their voices heard and influence projects and programs outcomes in fragile contexts? To what extent gender and human rights are taken into consideration?
Recognizing this gap, child-centered agencies have developed a child specific needs
assessment methodology that enables girls and boys to voice their needs and opinions.
In Africa, the number of young people between the ages of 14 and 25 is set to double by 2045
(AfDB, OECD, UNDP, and UNECA, 2012). More than 600 million youth worldwide live in fragile
regions (UNDP, 2014). Given that the youth of today are the leaders of the future, and are
therefore potential game changers, attention for the situation of young people in fragile
contexts is more urgent than ever.
This panel explores tools and methodologies that have been tested and validated in
fragile settings. It will specifically focus on case studies from
Africa with a gender lens. The panel outlines flexible approaches to primary data collection with children and
youth using qualitative consultative tools. It includes options and considerations for different
contexts to enable their applicability in crises that are rapid onset, slow onset or protracted in
nature. The aspiration in these experiences in Africa is that they will evolve
over time from a consultative process led by adults, to a child led peer approach methodology.
Based on lessons and feedbacks, the panel will highlight key good practices, practical ways to
involve children and youth in fragile settings especially conflict, violence that affect them.
Finally, and crucially, key recommendations would enable child-centered agencies, researchers,
conference participants responding to humanitarian crises to better support children and
youth to realize their rights enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child (UNCRC).