Celebrating 15 Years of the Children, Youth, and Women - Research and Practice Forum

The Children, Youth, and Women - Research and Practice Forum (CYW-RPF), organized by Young Lives Ethiopia, is proud to celebrate its 15th anniversary. Established in September 2010 as the Child Research and Practice Forum (CRPF) under the Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs with support from UNICEF, the Forum has grown into a dynamic network that bridges research and practice to address critical issues impacting children, youth, and women in Ethiopia.

Over the past 15 years, the CYW-RPF has provided a platform for knowledge-sharing through monthly presentations of policy-relevant research and programs. Managed by Young Lives Ethiopia, the Forum has hosted 171 presentations from various organizations between 2010 and 2024. Of these, Young Lives has contributed 30 presentations based on its longitudinal research, furthering understanding of the dynamics of poverty and inequality in the lives of children, from their early years, through adolescence, and into young adulthood.

To mark this milestone, Young Lives Ethiopia, in collaboration with UNICEF, UN Women, the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), is organizing an Annual Workshop under the theme: "Protection and Empowerment of Children, Youth, and Women" on February 11, 2025. This event will feature high-quality research papers addressing pressing issues affecting these groups and will bring together leading experts and stakeholders.

The CYW-RPF is a collaborative platform comprising diverse stakeholders, including:

• Research and policy organizations: African Child Policy Forum, Population Council, and Gender and Adolescence Global Evidence.
• UN organizations: UNICEF, UN Women, UNOCHA, ILO, IOM, and UNHCR.
• International NGOs: Save the Children, World Vision, Concern Worldwide, Norwegian Church Aid, and Imagine One Day.
• Local organizations and networks: Chad-Et, Forum for Sustainable Child Empowerment, Local Development through Adult and Non-Formal Education, Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Associations, Alliance to End Child Marriage, and Equity in Education Research Network.

In addition to its monthly sessions, the Forum produces quarterly newsletters and annual summaries of its presentations, which are shared at meetings and published on the Young Lives Ethiopia website. For more details, visit: https://www.younglives-ethiopia.org/basic-page/children-youth-and-women-research-and-practice-forum.

The Forum has a membership base of 1,450 individuals, who receive regular updates and invitations to meetings. These are held in-person at the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs and online, a practice introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, the CYW-RPF has organized workshops on critical topics such as migration, early learning, violence affecting children and youth, and child labor.

The 15th-anniversary celebration is a testament to the Forum's commitment to advancing research, fostering collaboration, and driving meaningful change for children, youth, and women in Ethiopia.