Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America, and currently faces deep social and political conflicts, generating great institutional instability, which complicates even the most delicate structural situations, crossed by complicated processes of social exclusion, specially towards the indigenous populations. The resignation of two Presidents in the past few months is a more then adequate indicator of the problem.

As of 2001, Bolivia has 8.27 million habitants, of which 4.15 million are women with 4.12 million men.  Of this total, approximately 27% will be youths between 15 and 19 years of age, or 2,265,214 (2001), a little more than a quarter of the population. By 2003 the population will have reached 9 million habitants. 

In the last few years of the 90s, in the dominion of public youth policies, there were a few important advances. They include the creation of a National Youth Survey (1997), the creation of a rigorous assessment of the situation among youths, a rigorous formulation of national youth policy guidelines, and the drafting of a Youth Law Project (which the Parliament did not approve, but created bases for a public policy and its institutionalization).

The 1998 – 2002 National Youth Plan was created with ample participation from both public and private organizations (obviously including organized youths themselves).  From a view that places youth as major players, the Plan dealt with the development of their potential and quality of life, the lowering of poverty levels, and the promotion of their participation in the process of productively transforming the country.  In terms of a general objective, it was proposed that favourable conditions be created to which adolescents and youth can achieve an integral and sustainable development, taking apart specific institutional, social and economic objectives. 

More recently, in the framework of the National Reproductive Health Project (PSRN-GTZ) the 2003 Bolivian Youth Survey was created, filling an evident hole in this field.  The work was developed with the objective of generating information to measure development, knowledge, practices, hopes, perceptions, etc., of adolescents and youths,  acting as a base to propose and/or adjust policies and programs in its favour, mainly those related to health promotion and supporting data for social investigations.

In institutional terms, the public youth policies are under the supervision of the Vice-Ministry of Children, Youth and Senior Citizens (a dependent of the Ministry of Sustainable Development).  Meanwhile in non-governmental fields, there exist a number of diverse youth organizations and networks operating in various areas, emphasizing the Municipal Youth Councils in major cities (specially La Paz).  The work is centered on good methods in the dynamic of youth, under the framework that seeks to tackle the principle limitations that new generations face in the attempts of incorporating themselves more into society.

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