RFI 72016723RFI00001 for New Youth Activity in Kosovo.pdf

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the United States Government (USG). All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the USG will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the USG.

Subject: Request for Information (RFI), Number 72016723RFI00001 Program Title: USAID/Kosovo Youth Activity Issuance Date: July 12, 2023 Closing Date: August 2, 2023, 17:00 Kosovo Local Time

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/Kosovo, is seeking input from organizations and individuals to provide information and recommendations in response to the questions outlined in this Request for Information (RFI) for an anticipated new Youth Activity in Kosovo.

More specifically, USAID/Kosovo is issuing this request for information to:

1. Solicit and obtain input, advice, knowledge, and best practices from a broad audience that has experience and expertise in youth development in Kosovo.

2. Elicit innovative ideas on essential youth development programmatic objectives and approaches.

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a promise to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) in the future. Responses to this RFI are not applications and cannot be accepted by USAID to form a binding award; only the information requested in this RFI will be reviewed. Further, USAID is not seeking applications and will not accept unsolicited applications.

Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future funding opportunities, if any are issued. Any Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be published in https://www.grants.gov/. It is the responsibility of the potential applicants to monitor https://www.grants.gov/ for additional information or updates pertaining to this RFI.

Submission is strictly voluntary. USAID will not provide feedback or responses to questions submitted in response to this RFI and no applications or resumes will be accepted or considered.

Respondents are not required to respond to all questions but may choose to do so. Only the information requested will be considered.

Thank you for your feedback.

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/

USAID/Kosovo Youth Activity Request for Information (RFI) No. 72016723RFI00001

A. Background

Kosovo is Europe’s youngest country. Kosovo has an estimated population of 1.8 million, median age of 30, and 41% of the population under the age of 25. In Kosovo, youth is defined as people 15-24 years.1 According to the Kosovo Agency of Statistics,2 the overall unemployment rate in Kosovo was

20.7 percent in 2021, with unemployment for youth at a staggering 38 percent. If democratic and economic opportunities are increased, then the large youth population will be a great advantage for Kosovo’s prosperity. A sizable portion of Kosovo’s youth is reaching adulthood and voting age—two powerful drivers of political and economic development. A shortage of economic opportunities, the prevalence of corruption and elite impunity, and the lack of mechanisms engaging young people in decision-making processes are a few of the current issues preventing Kosovo from capturing the full potential of one of its largest resources–youth. The current situation presents an opportunity for Kosovo’s youth to actively engage, influence, and become a catalyst for improved governance and prosperity.

A young, well-trained labor force could be a competitive advantage for strengthening democratic systems and boosting productivity. If this does not happen, the incoming youth bulge will exacerbate pressure on the current infrastructure, education, the economy, public services, and political stability.

USAID/Kosovo’s approach to youth engagement in its 2020-2025 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS)3 is cross-sectoral and is included in two Development Objectives (DOs):

1) (DO 1) Citizens are better served by accountable and effective governance institutions; and

2) (DO 2) Opportunities for democratic and economic participation are increased.

Given these goals, USAID/Kosovo is supporting young people through a continuum of engagement across different sectors. USAID programs aim to build outreach and accountability skills of youth vulnerable to social exclusion and socio-economic inequalities to empower them to affect positive change in their communities.

USAID/Kosovo strives to further increase citizens’ contributions to Kosovo’s democracy and economy. As such, USAID’s interventions focus on empowering citizens to organize and take action around issues that have meaning to them – enabling citizens to contribute to decision-making processes at local and national levels. Going beyond government oversight and public policy implementation, this goal aims to engender greater cooperation between citizens, civil society, the private sector, and the diaspora to address the barriers to Kosovo’s self-reliance.

Regarding economic participation, USAID’s focus is to augment the inclusive, broad-based growth of Kosovo’s economy by aligning youth skills with market needs. Additionally, USAID’s interventions aim to facilitate active and meaningful youth engagement opportunities in democratic processes, contributing to Kosovo’s social cohesion.

3 https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/CDCS-Kosovo-May-2025_External.pdf

2 https://ask.rks-gov.net/en/kosovo-agency-of-statistics/add-news/labour-force-survey-lfs-in-kosovo-2021

1 The Law on Empowerment and Participation of Youth (2009)

USAID now plans to design a new youth activity. Therefore, we seek your input through this Request for Information to identify the most pressing challenges that youth currently face, and catalyze locally-led solutions to these challenges.

B. Technical Questions

The following are questions to be addressed (respond to any for which you have experience, knowledge, or ideas).4 Please define age groups when proposing solutions or ideas.

Challenges

1. What are the main challenges (impediments, struggles) that Kosovo youth are currently facing?

a. Identify the top challenges confronted by youth and provide specific and concrete evidence with sources.

b. How are youth tackling these challenges?

c. At what level (national, municipal, etc.) should the identified issues be addressed?

2. What specific considerations must be given to vulnerable youth, specifically young people with disabilities, minorities, LGBTQI+ community members, orphans and any other vulnerable youth ?

Stakeholders

3. USAID is surveying the landscape of youth-focused organizations and others supporting Kosovan youth in any capacity. Who are the major youth-oriented organizations active in Kosovo? In addition to youth-oriented organizations, who are the other stakeholders affecting youth development that should be consulted?

4. What would incentivize and ensure sustainability of effective collaboration between youth, academia, the private sector and other stakeholders at central and local levels?

5. How can youth be better engaged in decision making that impacts their lives? Who is best positioned to improve youth engagement and participation in decision making?

Solutions/Opportunities

6. What are the most promising solutions to address the current challenges confronted by youth?

a. With limited financial and human resources, what solutions would be most meaningful and effective in responding to the identified needs of young people in

4 Define age group when proposing solutions or ideas. Think about your responses through a PYD - Positive Youth Development lens.

https://www.youthpower.org/positive-youth-development-pyd-framework

Kosovo?

b. What are some of the bright spots or examples of programs supporting youth that are going well? What worked? What are some of the most successful and innovative initiatives and programmatic activities youth participated in? Provide any available evidence.

c. What are current youth priorities (strategic focus; areas of greatest urgency) that youth believe can benefit from and why?

7. What would encourage youth to aspire to live and work in Kosovo? What type of support do youth need to facilitate Kosovo’s development?

8. How can technology be leveraged to support the social and economic empowerment of youth in Kosovo?

[End of Section]

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the United States Government (USG). All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the USG will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the USG.

Submission Instructions

A. General Instructions:

All responses must be submitted electronically in English, by the due date, to Fiolla Radoniqi via email at fradoniqi@usaid.gov and Urime Abdyli at uabdyli@usaid.gov.

All the emails must have the following subject line: RFI #72016723RFI00001 - USAID/Kosovo Youth Activity. All documents submitted must be .pdf or .doc format. While there is no formal page limitation, the submitted information should be clear, concise, easy to understand, and efficiently communicated. Do not send zip files.

Respondents are not required to answer all questions, but are encouraged to respond to any and all question(s) for which they have knowledge, experience, or ideas. Please number your responses to correspond with the questions in this RFI.

B. Submission Instructions:

The submitted response must include the following information:

Reference Number: RFI No. 72016721RFI00001

Date:

Affiliation/ Organization (if any):

Entity’s Address:

Representative Name / Email Address / Telephone Number:

The submission should include the following information

● responses to some or all of the questions in the RFI;

● recommendations, ideas and opportunities not identified by USAID; and

● documents, if any, that support the answers to the RFI Questions as attachments.

The collected information will be used for planning purposes and will not be released publicly. By responding to this notice, there will be no advantage to any entity or organization.

The submitted documentation and content thereof becomes the property of USAID and will not be returned.

[End of Request for Information (RFI)]

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the United States Government (USG). All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the USG will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the USG.

mailto:femini@usaid.gov mailto:uabdyli@usaid.gov