Timor-Leste’s emerging and aspiring youth entrepreneurs gathered at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) youth hub Knua Juventude Fila-Liman (KJFL) today to celebrate the launch of the 2020 round of the Youth Co:Lab innovation challenge.

Co-created in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab aims to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth, so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship. Since its inception in 2017, Youth Co:Lab has been implemented in 25 countries and territories in the Asia Pacific.

In Timor-Leste the 2020 challenge calls on Timorese youth to provide solutions to improve waste management, food production and consumption, and community-based tourism – all with the common theme of simultaneously creating employment and income opportunities for Timorese youth and have social impact in the communities.

According to the 2018 National Human Development Report, of those working 80% of Timorese youth are not formally employed, while 25% of all youth are not actively looking for work. A United Nations Timor-Leste Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 has shown that 1 in 4 households had someone who lost their job during the Covid-19 pandemic and self-employment dropped by 85%.

Youth Co:Lab is a chance for people aged between 18 and 35 to receive business development support provided by UNDP and to enter their existing or emerging businesses in a competition to represent Timor-Leste in regional finals.

They must present a scalable startup business with a promising business model to provide innovative products or services for markets in improving waste management, food production and consumption, and community-based tourism.

The business development support for eligible teams includes a three-day innovation and entrepreneurship “boot camp”; participation in the National Youth Forum to present their business case in front of public and private sector representatives; UNDP support via Accelerator Lab Timor-Leste and Knua Juventude Fila-Liman; and the top 10 teams will receive mentoring and business incubation through the UNDP’s springboard programme until December 2021.

Businesses are encouraged to focus their products in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In Timor-Leste’s context they include a focus on rural and vulnerable populations including women and people with disabilities.