Launch of the UN World Youth Report 2011

6 February 2012

The WFUNA Youth Network attended the launch of the 2011 World Youth Report focusing on the issue of youth and employment on Monday, 6 February, at UN Headquarters in New York, New York. Present at the panel discussion were participants Ms. Susana Vaz Patto, Minister Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the UN; Ms. Gail Gershon, Executive Director of Community Leadership at Gap Inc.; Ms. Yasmyn Camier, youth contributor to the report; and Senator Monthian Buntan of the Kingdom of Thailand. Moderating the discussion was Mr. Gianni Rosas, Programme Coordinator of the Youth Employment Programme of the International Labour Organization. 

The overarching theme of the report launch on youth and employment stressed the importance of including youth in the actual report, as well as their experiences, in looking for employment or internships. 

Questions were taken from the audience, online, and via Twitter using the hashtag #unwyr and discussed a range of issues affecting the outcome of the report and how it may be implemented, such as:

• Choosing a proper career path in addition to the job search
• How can the UN address corruption in member states when looking at youth unemployment?
• How can companies in the private sector that employ youth in their workforce use socially responsible practices? 
• How can youth who are ethnic minorities secure employment? 
• Is there any data available for youth who choose military service as a alternative to entering the labor market, due to high unemployment? 

The panel pointed out that the youth employment is a worldwide problem, and not limited to youth from the South. They discussed the experiences of youth who find themselves in a "Catch-22" of needing work experience to find their first job, but unable to obtain that work experience without their first job being secured. There was talk of a lack of skills and training for youth who seek internships for entry into the labor market, especially for those in their teens. Ms. Vaz Patto from the Mission of Portugal encouraged member states to specifically address youth development in their economic recovery measures. Suggestions for governments to develop toolkits similar to serve.gov that make the business case for youth development were made by Ms. Gershon of Gap Inc., as a way for multi-sector engagement on the implementation of addressing youth unemployment. 

Prior to the Q&A, Senator Buntan from the Kingdom of Thailand spoke of his experience with youth with disabilities and suggested complementing the report by adding various perspectives of youth who must overcome multiple hurdles. He suggested youth engage in peer counseling and advice to other youth, a thought supported by the youth contributor present at the launch. Twenty-four year old Yasmyn Camier of Guadeloupe spoke of her struggles in the early stages of looking for internships and employment but told the room that she was most encouraged by the support and voices of other youth who had gone through similar experiences. 

The launch session ended with the UN Focal Point on Youth directing participants to the newly-established website, and for youth to leave their comments on each of the sections addressing youth employment to make the site more interactive.