Since 2009 the UNDP Regional Programme for Social Cohesion and Youth Employment, a partnership that is bringing
together the, UNDP, ILO, UNESCO and UNIDO, has been supporting 12 Sub-Saharan countries to design macro-economic policies
that promote youth employment and facilitate the development of skills among the younger generations.
The current
economic crisis has hit young people hard. According to the ILO, of the world's estimated 211 million unemployed people in
2009, nearly 40 per cent—or about 83 million—are between 15 and 24 years of age. In Africa, youth already accounted for 60%
of the unemployed workforce in 2005 (to be actualized/see report ILO 2010), with women even less likely than men to have jobs.
In the years leading up to 2015, Africa’s youth population is expected to increase by 36 million while the labor force is
expected to grow by 22 million, reaching a total of 135 million. Youth employment will remain both an economic and a security
issue for Africa, with the lack of decent livelihood opportunities as one of the driving forces behind violence or organized
crime.
The programme has been supporting countries to compile better labor and employment data; to design policies
that can foster employment and business creation; to support education,vocational training and sustainable enterprises creation
and to establish a platform for social dialogue with labor unions, employers and youth organizations to promote social cohesion.
On the ground, programme staff have been working with governments, Non-Governmental Organizations, private sector
and youth organizations to promote youth employment as a priority in national and regional strategies to directly contribute
to increase national growth.
By specifically targeting youth employment, the programme aims to promote security
and inclusion in countries often recovering from violent conflict or marked by strong emigration flows. The programme, through
its unique regional approach, not only aims to facilitate country-to-country comparisons but it also aims to tackle violence,
conflict and migration as issues rooted in socio-economic exclusion and which transcend borders.
Thus, in addition
to working with national policy-makers, the programme has been collaborating with regional institutions, including the UN’s
Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union Commission and the Economic Community of West Africa States to mainstream
youth employment in regional development and integration strategies.
The USD 17 million programme, funded by the
Spain Cooperation has been operating in Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Lesotho,
Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
Thanks to the programme’s awareness raising efforts with the government
of Senegal for instance, the country has mainstreamed youth employment and professional training in its National Employment
Policy for 2010-2015.
In Liberia, the programme has been converting a building that was destroyed during the war
into a training compound for agro-business development. The compound included a dormitory, a school, an administrative building,
staff quarters and a power unit. It will soon be able to house 150 newly recruited trainers.
In Cape Verde, 292
youths will be trained in information technology and broadcasting, using three ILO methodologies: TRIE (“Trouver votre idée
d’entreprise” – Find your Business Idea), CREE (Créer votre entreprise – “Create your Own Business”) and GERME (Gérer mieux
votre entreprise – “Better Manage your buisiness”).
In Guinea, thanks to the programme, six micro-finance institutions
are now funding 500 youth entrepreneurial projects. In Guinea Bissau, a partnership has been established with the West African
Bank to manage a credit line of USD 300 000 to be allocated for youth entrepreneurship projects, with an additional credit
line of USD 395,000 under negotiation.
In January 2010, in an interesting cross-border initiative, Liberian volunteers
were deployed to six neighboring counties to provide direct support to education, health and agricultural institutions within
various communities. The volunteers received grants and monthly volunteer living allowances to settle in the host county and
were provided with necessary materials to effectively execute their assigned duties.
For more information:
On 15 July, on the occasion of UNDP’s Annual Meeting in Africa, which will examine ways to promote a breakthrough development
strategy for the region, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Director of ILO’s Employment Sector, will participate in
an expert panel on job creation, employment and income growth in Africa.
