Youth in Palestine comprise 30% of the population, of which 38.1% are adolescents aged 15-19 and 61.9% aged 20-29. The Palestinian society has been continuously described as a ‘young society’; nevertheless, Palestinian young people face many challenges affecting their economic, social and health wellbeing. Absence of conducive political, social and economic environment for youth and adolescents to become socially engaged increases the potential for high risk behaviours. Absence of a safe and healthy environment, malnutrition and lack of sport and exercise, and widely spread addictive behaviours such as smoking, alcohol and drugs increase youth feeling of dispersion and, hence, tendency to migration. These problems are worsened by the lack of knowledge and information and services tailored for adolescents and youth. The prevailing medical conception on youth as a healthy population has resulted in neglect to provide important health services leading to unfavourable social, emotional and psychosocial consequences. Also, programmes geared toward addressing youth issues do not engage and empower youth by fulfilling their rights to participate meaningfully in decision-making affecting their well-being. The high youth concern in Palestine is unemployment which reached 30% according to the national youth survey, with the highest rate among females aged 18-24 reaching 60%. 

 

Adolescent girls are exposed to the risk of early marriage, particularly in rural and vulnerable areas. In 2014, 22 per cent of reported married women aged 20 to 24 had married before age 18, with 22 per cent giving birth to a live child before 18, exposing them to complications of teenage pregnancy and affecting their likelihood to complete higher education and, consequently, preventing girls from attaining their full physical, social and emotional potential.

(Sources: National Youth Survey, PCBS, 2015. MICS Survey, PCBS, UNICEF, UNFPA, 2014)

UNFPA's interventions

Making adolescents and youth a priority

• Understand the conditions facing vulnerable, marginalized adolescents, using data from censuses, demographic and health surveys, and other sources;
• Bring together governments, civil society, donors, the private sector and youth-led organizations to advocate for more investment in young people as a development priority;
• Build the skills of young leaders and involve young people and youth-led organizations in policymaking and programming;
• Support independent, effective and sustainable organizations led by young people, especially marginalized adolescents, to advocate for their human rights and development priorities.

Y-Peer

Y-Peer, the Youth Peer Education Network, is a groundbreaking and comprehensive youth-to-youth initiative, supported by UNFPA, consisting of more than 500 non-profit organizations and governmental institutions. Its membership includes thousands of young people working in many areas, including those involving adolescent sexual and reproductive health.

UNFPA has established the Y-Peer network in Palestine in 2013, to promote a healthy life style among youth through peer to peer approach, and to build partnerships between young people and adults by advocating for policies and services, such as: increased access to information, knowledge, and services on sexual and reproductive health.