Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth has been launched. The United Nations has officially presented the initiative, with which it will seek to mobilise the public and private sectors worldwide to counter the current youth unemployment crisis.

The event took place during the first day of the Youth Forum that the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) organises each year and that has brought together approximately 800 youth leaders. “Today, two out of every five young people of working age are unemployed or doing jobs that do not pay enough to escape poverty“, stated the director general of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Guy Ryder, during his introductory speech.

In order to respond to this situation, this organisation and a score of United Nations agencies and structures are committed to promoting an extensive partnership with Governments, businesses and youth organisations with a view to promoting new employment opportunities and helping young people to acquire the appropriate skills.

This initiative will coordinate economic and employment policies and will seek, among other things, to ensure top quality practices, facilitate the transition from the informal to the formal economy or improve the digital knowledge of people looking for jobs. It will also promote technological centres that create new jobs or support young people in rural areas, among other plans.

There are currently about 74 million unemployed people under the age of 25 and young people are three times more likely to become unemployed than people in other age groups. The initiative seeks to take advantage of last year’s approval of the new global development agenda, which includes several goals dedicated to the improvement of the situation of young people and to promoting employment opportunities for all.

The United Nation’s Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi, asserted, during the presentation, that this plan “reflects the commitment of the UN to respond to youth unemployment and promote decent work for young people“. “It also reflects that youth employment should be a priority at all levels in order to release the potential of 1,800 million young people, a recipe that is fundamental for development, peace and for security,” he said.