High youth unemployment remains a key concern for the Government of Algeria. Its population is predominantly young (70 per cent is under the age of 30), with a youth unemployment rate of 29.9 percent in 2014 for those between the ages of 16 and 24, and even higher among university graduates, and even more so young women university graduates. This situation highlights the need for placing youth at the heart of the government strategy and to define youth-related policies through a consultative and participatory approach based on dialogue involving the youth associative movement. However, the policy influence of the Algerian civil society remains modest due to limited financial and material resources, lack of training, and the nature of association activities.

Through the A’AMAL project, which is part of the Youth Employment Support Programme (‘PAJE’) which is co-financed by the Algerian Government and the European Union, the ILO intends to support the Algerian Government's efforts to implement youth-centred policies and strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs). The project aims to enhance the employability and professional integration of young people in two wilayas in Eastern Algeria, Annaba and Khenchela, through direct technical and financial assistance to civil society organizations. As part of its strategy the project launched a call for proposals promoting youth entrepreneurship and their employability in the two wilayas for local civil society organizations, in August 2016, where proposals from agribusiness, tourism, aquaculture, vocational training, handicrafts, and public works sectors were encouraged for submission. In total, 27 associations applied and 18 were preselected and invited by the Selection Committee to present and discuss their projects. At the end of the presentations, the committee consisting of representatives from the ILO, local authorities, trade unions, employers’ organizations and development partners selected nine projects for funding. The grant allocations are subject to the finalization of the selected proposals as per issues raised by the Selection Committee.