Youth-related matters span across multiple portfolios. Many OECD members, including Mexico, the Slovak Republic, Spain and the European Union, have developed youth strategies to facilitate policy planning and service delivery across the whole-of-government and address the diverse needs of young people.
Youth strategies – Mexico, the Slovak Republic, Spain and the European Union
Abstract
In Mexico, the National Youth Programme 2019-24 (Projuventud) aligns with the National Development Plan and operates across three key axes, targeting people aged 12-29. Firstly, it strengthens collaboration with academics and experts to improve youth policies. Secondly, it conducts consultations with young people through calls, surveys and debates, aiming to integrate their demands into national youth policy. Consultations ensure diverse participation from young people, including girls, adolescents, the indigenous population and the LGBTTTIQ+1 community. Thirdly, it establishes co-operation mechanisms between levels of government to address the needs of young people. The Slovak Republic’s Youth Strategy 2021-28 has been developed with the collaborative effort of representatives from 300 relevant governmental and non-governmental entities. An Interdepartmental Working Group for State Youth Policy within the Ministry of Education oversees its implementation and monitoring. In Spain, the National Youth Strategy 2022-30 was developed by the Spanish Youth Institute (INJUVE) based on evidence disaggregated by age, educational background, employment, housing and electoral participation. The Strategy was designed with the participation of ministries, regional youth directorates and civil society organisations, including the Spanish Youth Council and more than 40 national youth organisations. It has a focus on young women, LGBTIQ2 democratic and social life through several instruments and programmes. Notably, the EU Youth Dialogue fosters dialogue between decision-makers and young people through a wide range of activities. The European Commission Youth Network aims to mainstream youth policy and enhance cross-sector co-operation by providing a forum for representatives of Commission Directorate-Generals and Services to exchange on good practices and tools linked to working for and with youth.
In Spain, the Strategy has reinforced cross-ministerial collaboration, notably through the Inter-ministerial Commission for Youth. The Strategy will be evaluated in 2024 and 2028 through impact indicators. Since the launch of the strategy, the government has introduced new measures in support of young people, including on access to adequate housing (e.g. through renting vouchers) and on access to employment, with targeted measures on the working conditions of young people. In Mexico, the System for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Youth Policy (SIMEJUV) monitors government actions and programmes, assessing their impact on young people. The European Commission has conducted an interim evaluation of its Youth Strategy, which highlights the EUYS’s role in setting a strategic co-operation framework in a cost-efficient way as well as the EU Youth Dialogue’s effectiveness in engaging young people. At the same time, the evaluation outlines areas for further improvement. The European Commission Youth Network is also instrumental to promote youth mainstreaming.
Further reading
Council of Europe (2007), Youth Policy in the Slovak Republic; European Commission (2023), Slovak Republic National Youth Strategy; European Commission (2023), Spanish National Youth Strategy; European Commission (2024), Report from the Commission to the EuropeanParliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the Interim Evaluation of the EU Youth Strategy2019-2027; Govierno de México (n.d.[, Monitoreo y Evaluación de la Política de Juventud; Instituto Mexicano de la Juventud (2022), Programa National de la Juventud 2021-2024 Avance y Resultados 2022; La Moncloa (2022), The Government of Spain approves the rental voucher for young people up to 35 years old and the State Plan for Access to Housing 2022-2025; Moxon (2023), Evaluation of participant inclusion levels within the EU Youth Dialogues; Secretería de Governación (2021), Programa Especial Derivado del Plan Nacional del Desarrollo 2019-2024.
This practice also supports the implementation of provisions II.3, III.1, III.2, IV.1, IV.3, IV.4, IV.5, V.1 and V.2 of the OECD Recommendation on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People.
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