1 / 22

Youth in Asia-Pacific: An age of opportunity

Youth in Asia-Pacific: An age of opportunity. “Regional perspectives on Youth and Development” ECOSOC 2012 Coordination Segment 10 July 2012 Noeleen Heyzer Under-Secretary General & Executive Secretary. Content. Situation of youth in Asia-Pacific Good practices

isaura
Download Presentation

Youth in Asia-Pacific: An age of opportunity

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Youth in Asia-Pacific: An age of opportunity “Regional perspectives on Youth and Development” ECOSOC 2012 Coordination Segment 10 July 2012 Noeleen Heyzer Under-Secretary General & Executive Secretary

  2. Content Situation of youth in Asia-Pacific Good practices Youth policies: the way forward

  3. I. Situation of youth in Asia-Pacific

  4. Over 60% of the world’s youth live in Asia-Pacific = 750+ million Distribution of youth by subregion, Asia-Pacific, 2010 (UNDESA, World Population Prospects: the 2010 Revision)

  5. Asia-Pacific will achieve the MDGs on education The region is on track to meet the MDG targets on education The MDG target on gender parity in education will be achieved However, barriers remain for vulnerable youth to access education

  6. Gross Enrolment Ratios (GER, in %), 2010(UNESCO Institute for Statistics, UISData Centre) Completing secondary & tertiary education remains a challenge

  7. Youth unemployment rates by Asia-Pacific subregion(ESCAP, 2011 Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific) Youth unemployment in Asia-Pacific is relatively low compared to other regions

  8. Some countries have tapped the demographic dividend • Parts of East Asia & SE Asia have tapped the demographic dividend • This requires a mix of social & economic policies to: • Promote more investment in human capital • Foster a climate of • research & development • openness to trade • macroeconomic stability

  9. Many young people lack access to sexual & reproductive health services • Such services are frequently not available to unmarried persons • The adolescent birth rate is still alarmingly high in some countries

  10. 95% of new HIV infections are among young key affected populations In some countries, over 60% of women & girls reported physical & sexual violence by an intimate partner In many parts of Asia-Pacific, methamphetamine abuse is rising among young people Youth are vulnerable to health risks

  11. Asia-Pacific youth are highly “e-connected” • Over half of the region’s population is active online • Nearly 60% of the world’s mobile phone-owning youth live in Asia • Republic of Korea: world leader in e-connectivity • China: 84% youth use mobile phones to access Internet • Japan: 60% youth access social networks through mobile phones

  12. Youth are calling for greater accountability & social justice Philippines: well-developed youth civil society, with youth participation in local governance Pakistan: Young Parliamentarian Forum & on-the-job training for young people in Parliament Young people are promoting good governance

  13. II. Good practices in Asia-Pacific

  14. Youth are participating in national development • Timor-Leste: Youth Parliament influencing national decision-making • Sri Lanka: National Youth Services Council established multiple platforms for youth engagement in national development processes

  15. Youth are a force for economic development • Bangladesh: national policy to increase employability • Viet Nam: national strategy to generate jobs & reduce unemployment • China: national initiative to promote entrepreneurship

  16. Youth are defining the future sustainable development agenda • India: youth volunteers promote water, sanitation & hygiene • Pacific: youth leaders address climate change • Central Asia: youth-led initiatives preserve biodiversity

  17. III. Youth policies: the way forward

  18. Invest in youth: it makes economic sense Link education & training programmes to labour market demands Increase government spending on quality education & training Strengthen education & employment support for out-of-school youth

  19. Enhance inter-generational contracts • Generate decent jobs for youth in the formal sector • Create a sustainable tax benefit system • Promote universal social protection through a life-cycle approach

  20. Provide youth-friendly information & services to promote healthy lifestyles • Integrate information on healthy lifestyles in educational curricula • Support effective peer education programmes • Engage young men in programmes & services

  21. Enhance regional cooperation to strengthen the youth agenda • Support evidence-informed policies through knowledge sharing & data collection • Promote multisectoral cooperation • Engage young people in policy processes • Build leadership, mutual understanding & respect among youth throughout Asia-Pacific

  22. Let us invest in youthfor a moreinclusive, resilient & sustainable future!

More Related