Ban Ki-Moon Stresses On The Importance Of Youth Employment For Sustainable Development In Tunisia

Tunis: United Nations (UN) General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon stressed on the importance of youth employment on Tuesday at a national conference on employment in Tunis, Tunisia.

Ki-Moon called on the international community to help Tunisia to create new businesses and fund active labor market programs for young people. He emphasized that when young men and women are excluded from decent work, they could become susceptible to extremist discourse, which in turn results in youth unemployment, which seriously hinders the sustainable development and growth of a country.

With 200,000 young Tunisians jobless, the country has the highest youth unemployment rate (30 per cent) in North Africa.

The 71-year-old South Korean statesman and politician said: “There are two areas in particular where I see an opportunity for international support here in Tunisia. First, there is a mismatch between the number of graduates and the number of suitable jobs. This will require targeted policies to help young people build careers for future growth and prosperity. Investment in new businesses is crucial, together with a reduction in cumbersome bureaucratic procedures, and an increase in women's participation in the labor force. Second, active labor market programs, targeting young graduates in particular, can be funded by public sector financing and resources from development partners. Trade unions, employers' organizations and the private sector can help by empowering young people and engaging with youth-led organizations.”

He also said that creating decent jobs through sustainable development is a top priority of UN, as adopted last September by UN Member States. Goal eight of the ‘2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development’ stresses the importance of employment and decent work in promoting growth and achieving other social and environmental goals.

Given that half the world's people are under 25, he appointed Ahmad Alhendawi as the first-ever UN envoy for youth to work with all UN agencies and programs in every country and to improve the coordination of policies for young people. In Tunisia, UN agencies have set up a Youth Advisory Board to make the UN programs more responsive to the needs and priorities of young people.