The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NL MFA) International Youth Advisory Committee (Fully Funded to the Netherlands)

Application Deadline: March 24, 2023 at 23:59 CET (might be closed beforehand if number of applications surpass our capacity)

Duration: April 2023 – April 2025

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NL MFA) launched the Youth at Heart Strategy in 2020, putting young people at the heart of international policymaking, and investing in education and youth employment. . This strategy aims to improve the prospects of young people in the Sahel region, Horn of Africa, Middle East, and North Africa, as these focus regions have very young populations

The International Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) will contribute to achieving the ambitions outlined in the strategy and ensure that NL MFA policies are better geared to match the reality of young people in the focus regions and beyond. The committee works with the ministry on several different themes. Every few months they will cooperate with the ministry on different themes, ranging from youth entrepreneurship to sexual health education, to policies related to digitalisation.

The Committee also functions as an interactive platform between youth and staff of the NL MFA. Young people from both the Netherlands and the focus regions will be part of the advisory committee. Being part of the YAC is also a learning process where room is given to ask questions and receive feedback.

The YAC’s pilot phase ran from November 2021 to January 2023. Many important lessons were learned during this period, which has been helpful in ensuring a strong and robust second cohort. In the past year and a half, the YAC has been working extensively with the ministry on themes like Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights and skills and jobs programs. In addition to this, the YAC has contributed to the Policy Note for Foreign Trade & Development Cooperation and to the Africa Strategy of the ministry. They have spoken on several on- and offline events and record their own podcast ‘Hello, Future Speaking’.

Requirements

• 18-29 years of age as of March 23rd, 2023.
• English language proficiency at B1 level or above.
• (Online) intercultural communication skills.
• Flexibility and availability to work 10 hours a week and attend online meetings as well as meet-up weeks in the Netherlands.
• Reside in one of the focus regions: the Sahel, Horn of Africa, Middle East, North Africa, and the Netherlands.
• Active in your local community and possess a large network of young people.
• Socially involved and interested in development issues and foreign policy.
• Able to handle perceived hierarchy and age differences.
• Experience in working in a professional context.
• Able to manage expectations, and provide clarity, transparency, and flexibility in the given assignment.
• Growth potential.
• Additional expertise and experience in the field of meaningful youth particpation is seen as a plus, but not a requirement.

Salary and Benefits

• Monthly remuneration of €158.
• All costs to and from the Netherlands (including visas, flights, and accommodation) will be covered.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Attend bi-annual meet-up weeks in the Netherlands in which goals and plans are determined jointly between the YAC and NL MFA (June 2023, January 2024, June 2024, and January 2025)
• Liaise with NL MFA policy officers to define the collaboration around selected themes and policy areas.
• Start conversations and work together with young people and relevant parties in your region and country.
• Conduct research, create products (such as podcasts), and draft youth-centered development policy advice through thematic « tracks » and « sprints. »
  • Tracks: A long project with many instances of collaboration.
  • Sprints: A short, often one-time activity such as a brainstorming session or event.
• Take up the role as a YAC member in a professional, confident, proactive, and flexible manner.
• Make sure the questions or task, the envisioned result or product, and the timeframe are well understood.
• Take ownership of the process and the result, including ensuring equal sharing of tasks between members involved in a track (track leader and other members).
• Be readily available to regularly communicate via online messaging apps, email, etc.
• Communicate openly and transparently with the MFA policy officers and/or NJR about any challenge during the cooperation, or in case certain meetings cannot be attended.
• Take freedom and be creative in arriving at the agreed result/product, making use of any method you deem helpful.
• As the YAC engages in public events, you must be willing to be seen in the public eye, both online and offline (arrangements can be made to ensure safety if necessary, such as using pseudonyms and image censoring).

Selection Procedure

• Round 1: Selection based on CV
• Round 2: Selection based on motivation
• Round 3: Interview

Please upload your CV and cover letter along with the application form.

Note: only applicants who get invited for the interview will be contacted by April 7th. Interviews will take place between 17-20th of April.

rPlease note: due to the high amount of applications received from Kenya and Nigeria we will close applications for these countries on Sunday 19-03-23 23:59 (CET).

Please note: due to unexpectedly high amount of applications we are monitoring the applications closely and have the right to close applications for some or all countries. We cannot take applications through other mediums than our Typeform.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the NL MFA International Youth Advisory Committee