Youth Declaration

Nepali Youth Declaration on the Future of Work

The youth dialogue complements the ILO’s Future of Work initiative by the ILO Director-General, Mr. Guy Ryder which is one of the seven centenary initiatives to guide and strengthen the ILO’s efforts in addressing the future challenges of social justice. While aiming to address youth and their future engagement, the Future of Work initiative notes that globalization and technological transformation has made the future of work uncertain. The Declaration acknowledged the necessity to leave no one behind and to embrace the diversity of youth across Nepal, by including their voices in shaping policies.

Statement | Kathmandu, Nepal | 13 December 2016
We, the young people of Nepal, gathered at the dialogue on “Nepali Youth’s Vision for the Future of Work” at the Soaltee Crowne Plaza Hotel, Kathmandu on 15th December 2016, in the presence of youth organizations, students from colleges and universities, government representatives, civil society organizations, development partners, members of the private sector, Trade Unions, and members of the media;
 
Recognizing the efforts made by Government, the private sector, Trade Unions, development partners, civil society and the media to encourage the growth of decent jobs for youth;

Realizing the difficulty that young women and men in Nepal face to access decent employment opportunities;

Acknowledging the necessity to leave no one behind and to embrace the diversity of youth across Nepal, by including their voices in shaping policies;

Highlighting the role of young Nepalis towards achieving the SDGs, including target 8b on designing a global strategy for youth employment;

Understanding the changing dynamics of the nature of jobs in Nepal and globally;

Assessing the need to prepare for a demographic dividend for the sake of peace, prosperity and inclusive growth;

Recognizing the importance for young people to be better prepared to enter the world of work, including through entrepreneurship and self-employment;

Recommend the Government, employers and workers, the International Labour Organization, and development partners to:

1.    Regulate the working environment for young people in the “platform economy” ensuring that all technology-driven and internet-based jobs associated to it are decent and provide equal access to rights, minimum wages and social protection;

2.    Capitalize on the demographic dividend by enhancing the access to skills training, particularly for young women and returnee migrant workers;

3.    Launch programmes to inform young people about the career opportunities which exist, including in rural areas;

4.    Provide quality work exposure opportunities for young women and men from rural and urban settings;

5.    Promote gender equality and put measures in place to prevent any form of discrimination;

6.    Set up a youth employment task force team comprising of relevant government institutions, the private sector, Trade Unions and youth representatives to monitor progress made on youth-centric policies and strategies on a bi-annual basis with support from the International Labour Organization.

Concluding, the increasing number of youth entering the labour market in Nepal seek an informed, safe and enabling environment to thrive in the Future of Work.