ILO at the UN High-Level Meeting on Youth

The ILO participated in the UN High-Level Meeting, at which member States were urged to increase investments in young people, especially in the area of youth employment.

At the Meeting, member States agreed to set out steps that would improve the situation of young people around the world, which currently entails high rates of youth unemployment, underemployment, and vulnerable and informal employment (Outcome Document).

The UN Agencies that are active in the promotion of the youth development agenda issued a Joint Statement by 25 heads of UN Agencies and Entities committing to improve coordination within the United Nations System in support of national efforts to implement international agreements and development goals in the area of youth development. This Statement was delivered by the ILO, which is the co-chair, together with the UN Programme on Youth, of the UN Interagency Network on Youth Development.

The High-Level Meeting was followed by a series of side events on youth development issues. The ILO, in collaboration with the US Mission to the UN in New York, hosted an event to connect actors, philanthropists, the private sector and the civil society active in the promotion of youth employment. Similar events were held throughout the day. The opening session, attended by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, focused on private sector involvement in youth issues and youth philanthropy. Keynote speakers included the Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Partnerships Bureau, UNDP, Sigrid A. M. Kaag and the President and CEO of the MasterCard Foundation, Reeta Roy, who advocated for partnerships between the UN and the private sector with a view to promoting more and better opportunities for young people, especially those living in poor countries.

This was followed by a second event co-sponsored by the ILO and other Agencies part of UNAIDS. The side event “A dialogue between young leaders and policy decision-makers to seek answers collectively for reaching zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths” also focussed on HIV/AIDS issues and challenges facing young people at the workplace. The event was attended by Ministerial delegations, young activists and UN Entities. A representative of the Youth Committee of the International Trade Unions Confederation and of the Canadian Labour Congress described a number of good practices promoted by trade unions to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS issues among young workers.

For further information on the UN High-Level Meeting on Youth in New York please, click here or refer to: