The ILO’s Global Youth Employment Forum 2019 ended with deliberations, key action plans, and thoughts that will contribute to the frameworks for today and tomorrow. Through series of Tripartite fishbowl discussion, Keynote speeches, Roundtable sessions, Tripartite fireside chat panel discussion, and Panel dialogue that featured over 100 young representatives from government, trade unions, workers, employers’ organizations, and civic society organizations from over 60 countries across the world.
In some of the topical issues, it was clearly marked that young people are anxious about the future of work and what will influence the future of work. The energies of young people, the potential of young people, and the voices of young people needed to be heard.
In another submission, “Workers were duly recognized as the creators of wealth for the world”. Their input and ideas towards transformative processes needed to be regarded.
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Mr. Guy Ryder, ILO Director General, stated in an action statement during his opening speech that “we need to stop, think and take action”. We need to stop and look at the barriers that exist, the barriers that are impeding us from making progress towards decent jobs creation, do a reflections and brainstorm to come up with ideas and thoughts that will contribute toward achieving the sustainable development goal 8, and collaborate to take practical steps and actions that will ameliorate the effect of over 255 million young people who are unemployed; and over 136 million young people who are working in extremely hard, and living in poverty. Of which, 60% of these statistics are from Africa.
We explored innovative and emerging issues that are critical to key economies. With a definite call to action to create framework for enabling youth employment opportunities and enablers within the digital, green, lavender, blue and orange economies. We also engaged in an intergenerational dialogue, reflection, and commitment to champion the call for action from now to 2030.
An open market for youth employment solutions was also Featured such that 17 selected Young Participants exhibited best practices, new ideas and broadcast recent achievements on youth Employability and Entrepreneurship.
My work at Social Impact Africa was also selected to be Exhibited. I contributed by discussing key ideas that will reduce youth unemployment, foster partnerships, and prepare for the future of work in rural Nigeria through teaching basic Employability and Entrepreneurship Skills in both primary, secondary and tertiary schools as well as setting up innovation workspaces and hubs that will be devoted to quality R&D in youth unemployment solutions, build strategic partnership, synergy and support towards reducing the unemployment rate within Nigeria.
There were areas of key action plan which I believe will be of great benefit towards defining the future of work. And they are:
- Pro-employment: Discussion on microeconomic policies that will contribute to economic growth and development;
- Investment in quality education and skills that are needed by youths and that will help them be relevant in the future.
- Promoting youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Solutions.
- Been respectful of the rights of young workers.
I appreciate all the contributions and investment by United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development and in Partnership with International Labour Organization (ILO) towards promoting decent jobs and Economic growth in Africa and all across the world.
