Tirana, March 15, 2019 – The Child Rights Centre Albania (CRCA) recently announced that it is accredited to the largest international youth organization in the world: The International Youth Federation, based on the assessment and commitments of CRCA for the protection of the rights of the youth.
Standards that CRCA Albania has been working on for years to protect the rights and empowerment of young people in the country have turned it into one of the main support organizations for them. The CRCA accreditation decision at IYF follows a thorough analysis of all the success stories, achievements and support CRCA has given young people and children over the years. In the list of accreditations of all organizations, CRCA is ranked among the 144 best-performing organizations for empowering young people in the world.
The International Youth Federation (IYF) is an organization that aims to empower young people around the world. Youth involvement is key to achieving development and there is a need to discuss how development actors can engage with young people and translate priority areas into development programs and policies. IYF addresses some of the ongoing challenges and positive experiences and lessons learned from countries that have empowered and engaged young people in finding sustainable development solutions.
For years, CRCA has been engaged in its work on youth empowerment, drafting and monitoring of Youth Policy, Laws, their involvement in decision-making and policy making, as well as all the problems of Albanian youth. The youth data already clearly speak of the situation in which they are in Albania. About 26% of them are unemployed, creating a large percentage of their desire to emigrate, about 79% of them (according to Gallup). 73% do not find Government support in their representation in decision-making processes and local government structures, while 50% of crimes acts in Albania belong to the age group 15-30. The budget for young people is almost zero, amounting to 0.01% of GDP. For years CRCA has supported the largest Albanian National Youth Network (ANYN), and together they have each year requested for the state budget to increase for young people. Since 2012 CRCA and ANYN have worked on drafting a Law on Youth, which did not exist in Albania. CRCA was the initiator of the request for the establishment of a Student Advocacy Office, the provision of a Youth Card, the establishment of the Youth Caucus, the adoption of the first draft Youth Resolution in the Albanian Parliament, the drafting of the First Action Plan for young people in the Municipality of Tirana, co-workers of the National Action Plan for Youth 2015-2020, etc.
Accreditation of CRCA Albania in the International Youth Federation (IYF) is also an enormous opportunity for young people and women from all over Albania to get involved in the Global Youth Agenda and to voice their concerns about their rights and the youth around the world.
For more information, contact:
Altin Hazizaj, Director of CRCA
info@crca.al