Of the world's estimated 211 million unemployed in 2009, nearly 40 per cent – or about 81 million – are between 15 and 24 years of age. In addition, more youth are poor or underemployed than ever before: some 152 million young people work but live in households that earn less than the equivalent of US$1.25 per day.[1] Youth employment is a cross-cutting concern in the international development agenda and a commitment of the Millennium Declaration; achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people, is a target of MDG1, which aims to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. The youth employment crisis is not only an integral element of the broader general employment situation - it also has specific impacts on the numbers of young women and men who migrate in search of job opportunities elsewhere.
The MDG-F thematic window for Youth, Employment and Migration (YEM) worked to make employment a central concern in national economic and social policy, and undertook interventions promoting sustainable, productive employment and decent work for young people at both national and local levels. This included supporting better management of youth migration and enhancing local capacities to develop, implement and monitor effective youth employment and migration policies and programmes. The 14 Joint Programmes (JPs) in the YEM window produced data and analysis to improve knowledge and understanding of the multiple disadvantages facing young people in their transition to decent work. They introduced innovation and reform in the development of economic and social policy, and used integrated, multi-sectoral approaches in the design, monitoring and evaluation of youth employment and migration programmes.
The YEM Knowledge Management plan supported the implementation of the programmes in the thematic window by generating and sharing knowledge through a community of practice. The objectives of the plan were to collect and disseminate data, information and tools generated by the JPs; undertake research and studies on topics of common interest; and organize thematic and global workshops to share experience, lessons learned and good practices across the participating UN agencies and national partners. Beyond the scope of the MDG-F programmes, however, the KM plan also contributed the experiences of the Fund to a wider knowledge base on development programming and global debates around youth and employment.
[1] ILO, Global Employment Trends for Youth, August 2010
Experiences exchange initiatives:
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Workshops: Two regional workshops were held in 2011 in Budapest and Lima, with the objective of establishing a global YEM CoP, supporting joint programmes in major implementation challenges, and sharing tools and experiences on a range of topics. Key discussions were held around YEM indicators and labour market information; policies and plans of action; and design and implementation of programmes.
A final global workshop was organized in 2012 in Punta Cana focusing on lessons learned and strategies for programme sustainability.
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Teamworks: Areas identified by workshop participants as high priority were subsequently taken forward in the form of online technical assistance to the programmes through a series of 12 discussion forums. These forums were moderated by senior experts and spanned topics such as: design and implementation of skills and training programmes responding to labour market needs; programmes promoting entrepreneurship among young people; access to credit and finance; and active labour market programmes. These discussions were complemented by continuous bilateral support to the programmes.
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Information repository: A CD was produced compiling products generated by the joint programmes.
Capacity building: Technical support was provided to several joint programmes in the development of: national and local action plans for youth employment (Albania, Honduras, the Philippines, Tunisia and Turkey); youth employment strategies (Costa Rica and Serbia); local pacts and programmes for youth employment (Albania, Nicaragua and Peru); active labour market policies (Albania, Costa Rica, Peru, Serbia, Tunisia and Turkey); and rights in the workplace and youth participation (Albania, Peru, Serbia and Turkey).
Lessons Learned: 11 programmes submitted practices developed and tested during their implementation according to the format and methodology developed by the Knowledge Management facility.
Knowledge Management Products:
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Guide for the design and implementation of national youth employment programmes: This tool provides guidance and practical examples on how to design and implement youth employment programmes. It is based on lessons from the implementation and evaluation of YEM interventions. It provides a toolkit with examples, templates and suggestions to manage all the steps of the joint programme cycle, from design to evaluation, as well as guidance on the technical areas underpinning youth employment and migration joint programmes.
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Publication on good practices: Good practices generated by the joint programmes were disseminated through publications and websites.
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Guide for the design and implementation of profiling system: This guide describes the methodology and provides good examples of systems that help programme implementers and service providers to identify labour market issues and other disadvantages facing young people.
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Studies:
National profiles and regional reports on youth migration: A further key output under the YEM KM plan was the production of nine national studies on youth migration, published in the form of a four-page brief. A second report incorporated findings from the national profiles as well as two regional studies on Asia and the Pacific and Southern Africa that were commissioned for this purpose. This report was formally launched through a dedicated global event.
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Videos: The ILO issued a call for videos reflecting the experiences of the YEM programmes to raise awareness about the situation of vulnerable young people and find ways to address migration issues.
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