9.6 Intercontinental youth work and development cooperation
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Intercontinental youth work cooperation
The Danish Youth Council (DUF) administers several international programmes aimed at engaging young people in democracy, leadership, and global partnerships. Funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DUF’s Global Youth Programme provides funding and capacity-building support for youth organisations in Denmark and the Global South, fostering volunteering, gender equality, and youth participation.
Key initiatives under this programme include:
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The International Pool, which supports Danish youth organisations in forming partnerships with counterparts in OECD DAC-listed countries. Grants fund activities ranging from partner identification and pilot projects to youth exchanges and long-term collaborations.
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Capacity Building, offering training, workshops, and guidance to strengthen international partnerships.
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The Youth Delegate Programme, which empowers young people to engage in international policymaking.
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Supporting Activities, including the Cross-Political Network in Ukraine, which promotes youth dialogue across political divides, and PARTICIPATE, a Danish-African youth network supporting active citizenship in Denmark, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
DUF ensures quality through strict assessment criteria, financial oversight, and final project evaluations. An evaluation of the international youth programme was published in 2022.
The Danish-Arab Partnership Programme (DAPP) – Youth Culture and Diversity
DUF also manages youth projects under the Danish-Arab Partnership Programme (DAPP), which promotes good governance, economic opportunities, and youth empowerment in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan.
Two flagship initiatives include:
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Future Leaders, a partnership between the Danish YMCA-Scouts and Les Scouts Tunisiens, training young people in citizenship, advocacy, and social entrepreneurship.
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Dialogue Ambassadors, where youth from Denmark, Egypt, Tunisia, and Jordan are trained in dialogue facilitation and conflict resolution. Since 2009, over 25,000 young people have completed this programme.
Quality assurance involves regular monitoring visits, financial oversight, and biannual partner meetings to enhance programme impact.
Sjómaq – Strengthening Ties in the Danish Realm
Sjómaq is a youth project fostering cultural understanding between Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Denmark. Despite shared history, many young people feel disconnected from each other’s cultures. Sjómaq funds activities that encourage dialogue on prejudices and cultural differences, strengthening bonds across the Danish Realm. The project is run by DUF, AFS, MFS (Faroe Islands), and SORLAK (Greenland) and is funded by the North Atlantic Pool (Finance Bill 2022-2026) with a total budget of 14 million DKK.
Development cooperation activities
Ukrainian-Danish Youth House
The Ukrainian-Danish Youth House is managed by the Danish Youth Council (DUF) and the Danish Cultural Institute (DCI) under the Danish Eastern Neighbourhood Programme funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. It supports youth participation through dialogue, capacity building, and fostering partnerships between Denmark and Ukraine. The Youth House promotes youth-to-youth cooperation, cultural exchange, and democratic activism. Its activities aim to strengthen democratic engagement and empower youth to actively shape society.
This initiative is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contributing to long-term partnerships and democratic values among youth in both countries.
The New Democracy Fund
The New Democracy Fund, funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supports an independent, resilient civil society in the Eastern Neighbourhood Countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. It promotes democracy and human rights through regional networking and peer exchanges. The fund focuses on green transition, culture, gender, labour, media, and youth.
With a budget of 180 million DKK for 2023-2026, the fund supports both new and existing partnerships between civil society actors in Denmark and the Eastern Neighbourhood, strengthening democratic values and civil society initiatives in the region.
GLOBUS
The Global Engagement, Sustainability, Education and Cooperation Fund (GLOBUS) aims to engage Danish students and apprentices in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and international development cooperation with partners in the Global South. The programme operates through two main approaches: educational exchanges between Danish institutions and partners in developing countries, fostering mutual learning and collaboration, and circular economy projects that collect, refurbish, and distribute quality reused educational equipment. These initiatives support both formal and informal education, promoting sustainable development through knowledge-sharing and resource optimisation
GLOBUS targets educational institutions, organisations, and other actors in developing countries who seek partnerships with Danish counterparts to advance education and sustainability. The fund allocates DKK 18.8 million annually from 2022 to 2025 and is administered by a consortium of two organisations: the Center for Church-Based Development and the Danish Trade Union Development Agency. GLOBUS is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Furthermore, Denmark funds various organisations through Danish development aid, with a strong focus on integrating youth into human rights, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and development cooperation. Since the launch of the youth package in 2017, Denmark has taken concrete steps to ensure that youth engagement is embedded across key development priorities, including gender equality, education, employment, entrepreneurship, empowerment, and human rights.
Operation A Day’s Work (Operation Dagsværk) plays a key role in promoting development cooperation activities among young people in Denmark. Additionally, NGOs and youth organisations serve as primary platforms for youth participation in global issues, covering areas such as sustainable development, environmental protection, and human rights. These organisations can apply for public funding, as outlined in section 2.1.