The Commonwealth Youth Programme, also known as CYP, is an international development agency working with young people between the ages of 15 and 29. Part of the Commonwealth Secretariat, CYP is active in the Commonwealth's 54 member countries. CYP has a head office in London with four centres in Africa (Lusaka, Zambia), Asia (Chandigarh, India), Caribbean (Georgetown, Guyana) and Pacific (Honiara, Solomon Islands). Currently there are Four Regional Directors and 16 programme officers plus support staff are working there.

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The CYP's programme of work is decided mainly by Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting. Funded by Commonwealth governments through annual pledges to a voluntary fund, CYP is not a funding agency and does not provide financial support to any other organization.

CYP supports, and is supported by, a body of youth representatives called the Commonwealth Youth Caucus. The Youth Caucus meets at national, regional and pan-Commonwealth level to advise the programme. The Youth Caucus has a seat at Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting, and helps to organise the Commonwealth Youth Forum which meets prior to Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The Programme was supported by Queen Elizabeth II in her role as head of the Commonwealth. Princess Anne visited the Commonwealth Youth Programme Regional Centre for Africa in Lusaka, Zambia, in September 2012 as part of her four-day official visit to the country to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.^[1]

In 2017 the Commonwealth Secretariat released a review of the Commonwealth Youth Programme.^[2]

CYP provides government and youth-centred organizations with technical assistance in the areas of:

• Enterprise/vocational training and microcredit
• Youth participation in decision-making and youth policy
• Professionalization and training for youth workers
• Citizenship, peace-building, and human rights education
• HIV/AIDS awareness and counseling
• Information and Communications Technology
• Democracy (through Commonwealth election observer missions)
• Youth mainstreaming

The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work celebrate the contribution of young people to achieving global development goals. The awards, presented to Commonwealth citizens aged 15–29, showcase the work of outstanding young people who are leading initiatives ranging from poverty alleviation to peace building.

Each year an outstanding entrant is named Commonwealth Young Person of the Year, with regional awards given for Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and Americas, Africa and Europe. The awards demonstrate to leaders and other policy-makers the importance of young people’s role in development. The awards also serve to inspire other young people to take action in their communities.

Development work can be within any number of areas, such as skills training, arts and culture, environment protection, education, health and well-being, human rights, technology, sport, science and many more areas.^[3]

The Awards Programme added a new region to give more visibility to young people across the commonwealth.

For the 2022 Awards, to mark the celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II, Head of The Commonwealth, The Queen's Commonwealth Trust (QCT) has joined as a partner to offer to a selected applicant two years of flexible funding of £20,000 a year, as well as coaching opportunities and organizational development support.^[13]

The Commonwealth Youth Programme works in partnership with a range of organizations including

• Commonwealth of Learning
• Commonwealth Foundation
• Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council
• Royal Commonwealth Society
• Commonwealth Policy and Studies Unit
• UN (UNICEF, UN Youth Unit, UNAIDS, UN Habitat, UNDP, UNESCO and UNFPA)
• CARICOM
• 47 Partner Universities delivering Youth Work qualifications
• A range of microcredit NGOs and development banks
• The Body Shop of Australia