Panel Discussion: The Financial Crisis and its Impact on Youth Unemployment

Panel Discussion: The Financial Crisis and its Impact on Youth Unemployment
New York, July 9, 2012

GFDD is joining forces with the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, the Mission of the Dominican Republic to United Nations and the Special Coordinator Civil Society Office of the President of the Sixty-Sixth Session of the General Assembly to organize the Side Event “The Financial Crisis and its Impact on Youth Unemployment,” on July 9, 2012 during the framework of the 2012 ECOSOC High Level Segment.

The Side Event, “The Financial Crisis and its Impact on Youth Unemployment,” will feature focused discussion on how the design of effective global policies can contribute to the creation of increased and improved opportunities for the world’s young people.

The global recession and the ensuing world financial crisis have accelerated levels of poverty worldwide.  Dismal economic and financial outlooks, coupled with chronic unemployment figures and social exclusion of much of the world’s youth have resulted in alarming rates of instability in countries around the globe. 

In 2012, youth played a pivotal role in the movements orchestrated in the Middle East and North Africa demanding social and political change. According to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, young people will continue to play an increasingly important role in social movements calling for democracy, equal opportunities and better employment. However, UN projections indicate that these same individuals are about three times more likely than adults to be unemployed (currently 75 million young people worldwide are presently unemployed, or have few prospects in the informal job market).

The Side Event, “The Financial Crisis and its Impact on Youth Unemployment,” will feature focused discussion on how the design of effective global policies can contribute to the creation of increased and improved opportunities for the world’s young people.

The forum will feature presentations by the following international experts: Navid Hanif
Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA USG; David Hamam
Director, Africa Policy Division, United Nations; Victor Ovalles-Santos, First Secretary, Mission of Venezuela to the United Nations and Gemma Adaba,  Representative to the United Nations for the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Board Member, Social Justice in Global Development.

Date: Monday, July 9, 2012
Time: 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm
Location: United Nations Headquarters, North Lawn Building, Conference Room B

To RSVP, contact Margaret at: margaret@globalfoundationdd.org

The 2012 Annual Ministerial Review (AMR), to be held during the High-Level Segment of ECOSOC, July 2-9, will call attention to the theme: “Promoting productive capacity, employment and decent work to eradicate poverty in the context of inclusive, sustainable and equitable economic growth at all levels for achieving the MDGs”. The creation of decent employment opportunities and the advancement of labor force capacity are fundamental to poverty eradication and the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals. The 2012 AMR will include keynote addresses by Ministers of Labor, Development Cooperation, Economics, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Executive Heads of UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, and representatives of civil society, private sector and academia. Selected Member States – Algeria, Brazil, Ecuador, Kenya, Mauritius, Qatar, Russia, Senegal and Ukraine – will present National Voluntary Presentations, reporting progress made in realizing Internationally Agreed Development Goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

The coordination of this panel is part of a larger commitment of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo to contribute to ECOSOC’s agenda of work. The foundations have had consultative status with ECOSOC since the year 2004.

Related links:
http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/dominicanrepublic
http://www.ngosonffd.org/
http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/newfunct/amr2012.shtml
http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/
http://www.ituc-csi.org/
http://www.venezuelaonu.gob.ve/