Youth and sport

In many of GIZ’s countries of assignment, young people account for as much as 70 per cent of the population. They often live in poverty or precarious conditions and lack any real prospects. This can lead them to turn in on themselves or become violent, as a result of which they are labeled as a ‘problem’. Yet they have enormous potential.

We are committed to ensuring that young people are taken seriously and are given support – as equal players in helping to forge their own future. For GIZ, this takes three forms:

• Advising governments on their youth policy
• Strengthening youth networks
• Creating decent jobs for young people.

In return, we prepare young people specifically for the employment market and support them with initial and further training.

Worldwide, 251 million children and young people lack access to education. In 2025, the unemployment rate among 15 to 24-year-olds stands at 12.5 per cent. Many are at risk of crime, violence and marginalisation. 

We use sport in a targeted manner to promote education, values and opportunities. Sport 

• teaches important skills for work and everyday life
• prevents violence and conflict
• is healthy and teaches people about risks
• helps displaced people to integrate
• transcends traditional gender roles.

We train multipliers, work with local partners and support ministries in mainstreaming our approach on a sustainable basis. We have trained 10,000 trainers in more than 50 countries and reached around 1.4 million children and young people. 

In many countries, patriarchal structures prevent young people from having their say or contributing. We counter this by involving young people in political and social processes:

• We invite them to collaborate in areas such as employment, peace, environmental action, health and urban development
• Young people contribute their ideas to development strategies – for example, on promoting employment or preventing violence
• We train young people to become conflict mediators and promote non-violent resolution approaches
• We put them in contact with authorities and environmental organisations
• Youth organisations receive support in communicating health issues clearly. 

In this way, young people take on responsibility and advance their personal and social development.