Global Issues
U.N. Targets 'Lost Generation'
Even as the U.N. launched the International Year of Youth last week, one of its agencies was warning of a 'lost generation' of disillusioned young workers who are unable to find decent jobs.
Positive energy abounded at the kick-off ceremony for the international year at U.N. Headquarters in New York, where the U.N. Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development unveiled its goals of raising awareness about investment in young people, increasing youth engagement in decision-making processes at all levels in society and promoting intercultural understanding among youth, including cultural and religious tolerance.
The Aug. 12 ceremony was attended by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and youth ambassadors, with speakers highlighting the role of young people - defined as between the ages of 15 and 24 - in building a peaceful and sustainable future through 'Dialogue and Mutual Understanding', the theme of the Year.
'The idealism and creativity of youth are some of the most important resources any country has,' Ban told the gathering.
Jean-Francis Regis Zinsou, permanent representative of the Republic of Benin who is also a lead organiser of the Youth Conference, a highlight event scheduled to take place at the close of the Year of Youth, told the IPS that the coming year's work is motivated by the 'need to create synergy between our multiple efforts, and to put the youth at the centre of that'.
In the same spirit, a joint statement was issued on the occasion by the heads of U.N. agencies reaffirming their commitment to work together within the U.N. system to more effectively 'tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities facing young people'.
The statement's 27 signatories include the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Thoraya Obaid, U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark and Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Sha Zukang.
Still, it remains to be seen whether the campaign will translate into real improvements in the lives of young people, most of whom are likely unaware that they are the special dedicatees of the U.N. Year of Youth.
A new report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), published to coincide with the inauguration of the International Year, highlights the unprecedented challenges faced by the world's young workers and job-seekers.
Titled 'Global Employment Trends for Youth 2010', the ILO report says that of some 620 million economically active youth aged 15 to 24 years, 81 million were unemployed at the end of 2009 - the highest number ever recorded.
The youth unemployment rate increased from 11.9 percent in 2007 to 13.0 percent in 2009. This translates to a jump in 7.8 million over the two-year period.
According to ILO projections, the global youth unemployment rate will continue to increase through 2010 to 13.1 percent, followed by a moderate decline to 12.7 percent in 2011.
In developed and emerging economies alike, the young working population was the hardest hit by the 2007 global economic crisis, even though they had the least to do with its cause.
The recovery of the job market for young men and women is also likely to lag behind that of adults.
Then there are the problems of disproportionate youth underemployment and working poverty.
The report indicates that in 2008, nearly 30 percent of the world's young workers remained entrapped in extreme poverty in households surviving on less than 1.25 dollars per day.
The persistent cycle of working poverty can lead to a 'lost generation' of young people dropping out of the labour market, 'having lost all hope of being able to work for a decent living', the U.N. agency warns.
'Young people are the drivers of economic development,' said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. 'Foregoing this potential is an economic waste and can undermine social stability.'
On the bright side, the launch of the U.N. International Year of the Youth last week did espouse the message that it is within the young people's power to better the circumstances they find themselves in.
The world's youth account for about 18 percent of the total population. Almost 90 percent of those aged between 15 and 24 live in developing countries, where they face a host of limitations to their life chances.
Resolving the challenges of limited access to resources, healthcare, education and employment faced by tomorrow's generation is the linchpin to achieving many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by world leaders in 2000, the 2015 deadline for which is fast-approaching.
© Inter Press Service (2010) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service