Association of Youth Organizations Nepal (AYON) is an autonomous network of youth organisations, based in Kathmandu. It acts as an umbrella organisation for ninety two youth groups, thus representing more than 600,000 young people all over the country.

Its aim is to bring together all Nepali youth groups, in order for them to have a single and stronger voice and to take collective action at the local and national level. Through this platform youths have the opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences, to engage in policy advocacy and exert pressure on the government for designing youth-friendly policies and programmes.

Running for purpose: marching to raise awareness on youth issues during International Youth Day 2013

AYON has played a key role in highlighting the issues faced by young people through advocacy and awareness raising initiatives, engaging in debate with policy makers and media. It has also successfully conducted innovative activities to increase young people’s participation in policy-making, working on the Population and Housing Census, the National Youth Policy and the Youth Responsive Budgeting System (YRBS).

AYON has been working on the following programs:

1. Health programs for women and youth, implementing the goals of ICPD (International Conference on Population and Development) and monitoring the results in thirty five districts. The programme was carried out in partnership with UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) Nepal.

2. In partnership with Oxfam, it worked on the My Rights My Voice (MRMV) programme. The programme enhanced the capacity of children, youth and young mothers to identify their health needs and have increased understanding about their and their families’ right to basic free health and confidence to claim that right.

3. AYON is also the secretariat for Youth Peer Education Nepal (Y-Peer Nepal), which works for the minimization of the vulnerability of young people to HIV, AIDS and STIs. It ensures access to sexual and reproductive health services and it runs awareness campaigns for adolescents and youth.

4. Policy-making: AYON has been helping the National Planning Commission of Nepal in making the Youth chapter in the Three Years Interim Plan and in developing National Youth Employment Action Plan of Nepal. AYON is also on the steering committee of the National Election Monitoring Alliance (NEMA), Visioning New Nepal: Nepal in our lifetime, and many other national and global networks.