Participatory formulation of youth policies - Bolivia

Program for participatory formulation of youth policies:  Passage of Youth Law Nº 342 and the Proposed Plurinational Youth Plan drawn up by the Ministry of Justice of Bolivia – Office of the Vice Minister for Equal Opportunity.

Description of the Experience:

In pursuance of its institutional mandate (Political Constitution of the State – Supreme Decree Nº 29894 of the Executive Branch), the Ministry of Justice crafts and implements, through the Office of the Vice Minister for Equal Opportunity, rules and public policies with an emphasis on inclusion, empowerment, and multiculturalism to guarantee the exercise of rights by closing gender, generational, and disability gaps at the national level.  This initiative is also intended to promote the exercise of youth rights through regulations, plans, programs, and projects.

Thus, two major activities were pursued over the last 4 years to provide institutional conditions for youth policies to be executed:  a) Formulation and Passage of the Youth Law; and b) Preparation of the proposed Plurinational Youth Plan. These proposals were formulated through participatory lobbying, gatherings, and summits that involved a variety of leaders from indigenous, cultural, sports, and political youth organizations, among other stakeholders, taking an active part by proposing and defining policies for Bolivian youth.

This exercise was created and pursued for three reasons:

• The importance of addressing the needs and demands of the youth population in a coordinated manner;
• The need for an institutional framework to pursue public policies for youth;
• The urgent need for policies, programs, and projects geared towards the youth population.

Activities:

The following activities were carried out:

• Youth Law Nº 342:  Department-level gatherings are being held to get input on the rules under this law
• Preparation of a proposal on the Plurinational Youth Plan

Outcomes:

• Greater coordination between the Office of the Vice Minister for Equal Opportunity and the country's various youth organizations
• An institutional framework for designing, executing, and formulating youth policies was put in place through the Plurinational Youth System, which comprises the Plurinational Council on Youth, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Public Policies for Youth, and the Plurinational Directorate for Youth

Challenges:

One of the primary challenges revolves around the need to bolster coordination at two levels:

• Coordination with central, departmental, and municipal agencies. National ministries and local and municipal governments need to bolster coordination and investment in youth issues.
• Pursue steady coordination among youth organizations

Lessons learned:

•  Need for a multidisciplinary team to reinforce these practices
• Develop technical working platforms
• Strengthen coordination with cooperation and technical assistance agencies

Useful links:

www.gacetaoficialdebolivia.gob.bo/

www.justicia.gob.bo/

www.diputados.bo/

www.senado.bo/

Contact person details:

Rubén Pinto López

Youth Rights Mainstreaming Technician

Office of the Vice Minister for Equal Opportunity

Ministry of Justice

Email: rubenal_83@hotmail.com