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STORY: SOMALIA / YOUTH DIALOGUE
TRT: 3:05
SOURCE: UNTMIS
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNTMIS ON SCREEN
LANGAUGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 05 NOVEMBER 2025, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
1. Wide shot, youth participants following the proceedings during the Youth Dialogue event in Mogadishu.
2. Med shot, youth participants following the event proceedings.
3. Med shot, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, alongside other panelists during the Youth Dialogue.
4. Wide shot, UN Special Representative Swan gives remarks during the Youth Dialogue.
5. Wide shot – (Archival B-roll) Students in the university library.
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) James Swan, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia:
“When we talk about what Somalis want, what the people want, what the future holds, it's very much a conversation that involves the youth. You are the most significant demographic cohort in the country.”
7.Med shot, youth participants at the Youth Dialogue
8. Close up, female participants following the event's proceedings.
9. Wide shot, (Archival B-roll) University of Peace (UPEACE) students at a past graduation ceremony in Mogadishu.
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) James Swan, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia:
“For the United Nations in virtually all of our programming across the education sector, across the development sector, humanitarian response, there is always an emphasis and a concern on what this will mean for youth and how it will impact youth.”
11. Wide shot, (Archival B-roll) A youth reading the provisional federal constitution.
12. Wide shot, (Archival B-roll) Youth in discussions during a public consultation on the constitutional review process.
13. Med shots, youth participants taking notes during the event’s proceedings.
14. Close up, a male youth participant following the event’s proceedings.
15. Wide shot, youth participants at the event.
16. Close up, Somalia’s Minister for Youth and Sports, Mohamed Abdulkadir Ali, following the event’s proceedings.
17. Wide shot, UN Special Representative Swan addresses participants.
18. Wide shot, (Archival B-roll) Youth athletes in a past edition of the Mogadishu Marathon
19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mohamed Abdulkadir Ali, Minister of Youth and Sports, Somalia:
“To the youth of Somalia: You are the foundation of peace, progress, and prosperity. Your voices, dreams, and ideas will shape the Somalia we all envision – one that is united, strong, and full of promise.”
20. Med shot, (Archival B-roll) Youth in discussions during a public consultation on the constitutional review process.
21. Close up, male participants following the event’s proceedings.
22. Wide shot, participants taking notes.
23. Wide shot, (Archival B-roll) Students sitting for national exams.
24. Med shot, (Archival B-roll) Students sitting for national exams.
25. SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Abdulkadir Ali, Minister of Youth and Sports, Somalia:
“We are working to expand access to education, create employment opportunities, promote health and well-being, and strengthen youth participation in governance. Initiatives such as the youth employment skills programme, sports for peace activities, and entrepreneurship projects are empowering thousands of young Somalis to shape a brighter future.”
26. Wide shot, (Archival B-roll) Youth playing football.
27. Med shots, Various participants following the event’s proceedings.
28. Close up, a male participant following the event’s proceedings.
29. Wide shot, UN Special Representative Swan and participants following proceedings.
30. Med shot, female participants following proceedings.
31. Wide shot, UN Special Representative Swan addressing participants.
32. Close up, a female participant following proceedings.
33. Wide shot, participants in a group discussion during the event.
34. Wide shot, participants take a group photo during the event.
The important contribution that Somali youth can make to their country’s future was highlighted today at a gathering of young people from civil society and representatives from the Somali government and the United Nations.
“When we talk about what Somalis want, what the people want, what the future holds, it's very much a conversation that involves the youth. You are the most significant demographic cohort in the country,” the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, told the gathering in the Somali capital.
“For the United Nations, in virtually all of our programming across the education sector, across the development sector, humanitarian response, there is always an emphasis and a concern on what this will mean for youth and how it will impact youth,” he added.
Held under the theme of ‘World Programme of Action for Youth at 30: Accelerating Global Progress Through Intergenerational Collaboration,’ today’s Youth Dialogue was organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS), with support from the United Nations in Somalia.
It brought together more than 40 young people from youth-related civil society groups, as well as representatives from the United Nations and Federal Government of Somalia. The latter included the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mohamed Abdulkadir Ali, and the MYS’ Director of Policy and Planning, Hamza Abdiwahab.
The first in a series, the event was aimed at facilitating direct dialogue between young people, the government and the UN system in Somalia in order to identify actions to strengthen youth engagement, in addition to exploring key issues that resonate with young people’s priorities and aspirations for Somalia.
Youth bulge
In a population of close to 20 million, nearly eight in every ten Somalis are under the age of 35. The UN system’s support for the country’s youth is wide-ranging, carried out through a comprehensive range of programmes and initiatives aimed at tackling key challenges such as unemployment, climate resilience, peacebuilding, and political participation, aligned with Somalia’s national priorities and the UN Youth Strategy.
Somalia’s achievements in the youth field include the adoption of a National Youth Policy for 2023–2030 which provides a comprehensive framework for youth development, focusing on inclusion, economic empowerment, and civic participation.
More recently, the Federal Government of Somalia has developed a National Action Plan for Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) which builds on the policy and recognizes the crucial role of young people in peacebuilding and development.
In his remarks, Minister Ali underlined the priority the government gives to Somali youth.
“To the youth of Somalia: You are the foundation of peace, progress, and prosperity. Your voices, dreams, and ideas will shape the Somalia we all envision – one that is united, strong, and full of promise,” he told the gathering.
“We are working to expand access to education, create employment opportunities, promote health and well-being, and strengthen youth participation in governance,” he continued. “Initiatives such as the youth employment skills programme, sports for peace activities, and entrepreneurship projects are empowering thousands of young Somalis to shape a brighter future.”
Following the opening of the Youth Dialogue, participants took part in a panel discussion before breaking down into smaller groups to explore strategies on fostering youth participation across Somalia.
Key outcomes from the dialogue will be presented to the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports and United Nations for consideration on strengthening youth engagement by government, non-government organisations, and youth-led organisations.
Today’s event also marked the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth, a framework adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1995 to enhance the well-being and opportunities of youth in education, employment, health and governance.
