Date:7 November 2018
Ref:105/2018
Press Release
ICSPR calls upon the Palestinian President and the Government to find practical solutions to the problems and challenges facing youth in Gaza Strip
ICSPR deeply concerned about the continued suffering of the Palestinian youth in Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli occupation and its practices, and the internal division and the sanctions imposed by the Palestinian government against Gaza Strip, which have negatively affected the Palestinian youth rights, where 51% of graduates suffer from unemployment and poverty, 84% of them concentrated in Gaza Strip, and 63% of young people want to migrate, and that 73% of them do not feel secure towards the future. In addition to the growing rates of drug addiction among them. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the age structure of the population indicates that the Palestinian society is a young society, where the percentage of youth in 2018 between (15-29 yr) is estimated at 30.0%,which is equivalent to one third of the population composition, and indicators show that 3 individuals of every 10 in the Palestinian society are young, and that 7 out of every 10 families have at least one young person.
The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) considers the continued absence of youth issues from the table of the government and concerned parties as a political framework for the marginalization and exclusion of the youth component in Gaza Strip, who suffer from unfair government policies, in particular the lack of any competitive opportunities for public service, for 12 years, ICSPR expresses its support and encouragement for the launch of the General Federation of Youth Organizations and a number of partners, including the International Youth Rescue Organization (CYR) on the deterioration of the status of youth, as an effort to raise their voice and return their cause to the top of the decision maker’s priorities at all levels, through a number of demanding activities and events, Therefore, ICSPR demands the following:.· ICSPR calls upon the Government to quickly adopt short-, medium- and long-term programs and policies aimed at creating practical solutions for youth problems, including building their capacities and skills, and developing a national plan to mobilize the necessary resources in line with the concept of sustainable development.· ICSPR stresses the importance of restoring the leading role of young people in political life through the democratization of all structures, whether at the level of authority or organization or political parties.
ICSPR calls for the Government to approve a real economic and developmental empowerment program targeting the youth through a national economic plan that includes the government, the private sector and civil society, aiming to face unemployment and its disastrous effects on young people. · ICSPR stresses the need for universities to regain their true role in refining the national character, to promote Palestinian education and contributes in generating pioneering solutions to the crises of society and youth, including raising community awareness of youth issues and their seriousness. ·
ICSPR calls on civil society organizations to focus their attention on youth issues and to restore real voluntary work values away from exploitative, through developing the voluntary work system.
Regards,
