28-29 May 2019 Rome

Session Summary

The opening session offered an opportunity for the host government and partners of Decent Jobs for Youth to introduce the major theme of the annual conference, i.e. Rights and Voices of Youth, and invite further collaboration that supports a rights-based approach in youth employment.

In 2012, the International Labour Conference adopted a resolution called “The youth employment crisis: A call for action”, which underlined the urgency for immediate and targeted interventions to boost productive employment and decent work among youth. The framework is based on a multi-pronged and balanced approach aiming to ensure equal treatment and equal rights (based on international labour standards) for young people at work. Similarly, the Call for Action invites youth employment investments that recognize young people as part of the solution, ensuring their voices are heard and amplified in dealing with the youth employment crisis.

In this context, the speakers stressed the importance of placing young people at the centre of the discussion through meaningful engagement that allows youth to actively participate in decision-making processes. They called for further attention on those youth groups which are particularly disadvantaged in the labour market – with a specific focus on young women and their rights, voices and representation. The speakers celebrated the work of Decent Jobs for Youth in advancing an inclusive and evidence-based agenda and urged conference participants to strengthen multi-stakeholder collaboration, as well as investments in both youth labour market supply and demand measures.

The session concluded with a video message by Mr Guy Ryder, ILO’s Director General, who encouraged partners to translate the guiding principles of Decent Jobs for Youth into action, commit to a rights-based approach and strengthen youth voices – including by increasing young people’s participation and voice in trade unions and employers’ organizations.

Session summary

Before taking on her role of Master of Ceremony, Ms Joannie Bewa, United Nations Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, shared her experience as a young woman growing up in Benin and learning to confront the harsh realities of life. She spoke of the importance of self-recognition and the relevance of addressing raising gender inequalities in the labour market, healthcare and education. She described her entrepreneurial journey through the creation of the Young Beninese Leaders’ Association, set to amplify the voices and concerns of young women.

Ms Bewa stressed four key messages: (i) young people are the solution and need to be where the problem is; (ii) meaningful youth participation means going beyond speaking engagements and involving youth in decision making; (iii) synergize and strategize for success, by breaking siloes, recognizing weaknesses, and creating shared value; and (iv) take ‘no’ not as a rejection but as a new opportunity.

Conference participants shared their own struggles to get their voices heard and called for thinking outside the box to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

Session summary

The session featured two presentations on the rights-based approach guiding actions of Decent Jobs for Youth partners and youth aspirations in the world of work. The key takeaways are as follows:

• A rights-based approach in youth employment leads to (and has led to) positive change. The normative agenda of the ILO, benchmarked by international labour standards, seeks to protect rights at the workplace. It covers all workers in all countries, and lays the ground for the positive changes witnessed in the world of work over the past century – including as regards to working conditions and productivity. A number of conventions, like Convention 122 on ensuring work for all those who seek it, and Convention 100 on equal pay for equal work, are landmarks in the advancement of social justice. The supervision of such labour standards, paired with the promotion of social dialogue, advances rights, voice and representation, which are key enablers of quantity and quality jobs for young people.

• A better understanding of youth aspirations is key to bringing the voices of young people into the design and planning of youth employment interventions. Youth aspirations have been captured by numerous surveys yet there remains a gap between youth aspirations and labour market developments. Based on available evidence, family, purpose in life, love, friends and financial success are – in order of priority – the key drivers surrounding youth aspirations today. These choices show that a meaningful work and a fulfilling life outside of work are much more rewarding for young people than financial remuneration only. However, young people are also concerned about job opportunities (and the lack thereof) today and in the future. In Europe they worry notably about their lack of work experience, while in the Middle East and North Africa they fear discrimination by employers, a sentiment expressed most forcefully among by young women.

Session summary

The session offered an opportunity to reflect on the structural trends impacting youth labour markets – from technological advancements to the impact of climate change – and highlight innovative efforts to advance decent jobs for youth, through a rights-based approach. The panellists discussed the role of rights and voices as important enablers of sustainable solutions to the youth employment challenge. The right to quality and affordable education and skills development was stressed as a key policy area to assist young people navigate an increasingly digitised world of work that, in some countries and sectors, has also become more insecure. In this context, panellists emphasized the importance of social protection for young workers as well as housing, infrastructure and other policies that can improve young people’s lives and bring them closer to jobs and markets.

Job creation with a rights-based approach was highlighted as an effective avenue to create more and better jobs for youth. The panel underlined the importance of the right to representation, particularly in trade unions and employers’ organizations, to protect young workers’ interests both in formal and informal economies. Youth’s rights and voices can be further enhanced by protecting their school to work transition through quality internships and apprenticeships, as well as providing representation to those who are unemployed and discouraged.

Finally, the panel called for an urgent, active engagement of all partners in the promotion of a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies.

Session summary

By bringing together the resources and expertise of multiple partners, Decent Jobs for Youth seeks to turbocharge and maximise the effectiveness of youth employment investments, while providing a platform for young people to make their voices heard and actively contribute to a world where young women and men have access to decent work, everywhere. This session provided a platform for partners of Decent Jobs for Youth to take stock and see how to scale and replicate successful initiatives developed under the aegis of the global initiative.

Partners shared their efforts on strengthening knowledge about what works and what doesn’t, with a particular focus on Africa, through successful examples and pilot initiatives, such as  Decent Jobs for Youth’s spin off in the Sahel region (in collaboration with the government of Luxembourg) and the joint IDRC-INCLUDE-ILO research initiative to enhance evidence for effective policies and programmes. Partners also highlighted joint efforts bolstering the thematic areas of digital jobs and entrepreneurship and self-employment through the Digital Skills for Jobs Campaign and the YES Forum and declaration, respectively.

The session served as an opportunity to invite organizations to become partners of Decent Jobs for Youth and match their will and actions to scale up impact at country and regional levels.

Session summary

Indigenous youth face complex barriers in accessing employment. One possible solution to this, as argued by the young indigenous leaders on the panel, depends on the alignment between policies and community values, as well as the aspirations of young people. Efforts that aim to achieve such a balance, have seen the creation of new employment opportunities for young people in sectors such as renewable energy, sustainable resource management, and other industries that reinforce indigenous cultural values while contributing to long-term economic development and climate resilience of the communities. Interesting opportunities have emerged thanks to technology-based solutions, like those that bring young indigenous talents in music and arts closer to the mainstream public.

Young people in the session called for stronger private sector participation in the creation of decent jobs for indigenous youth as well as further actions to counteract discrimination (particularly on the basis of gender) and to advocate for employment policies that enforce the recognition and integration of indigenous languages in education and skills development systems.

A special focus was placed on effective practices and mechanisms to protect indigenous youth’s rights, as stated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the ILO Convention No. 169.

Session summary

When it comes to protecting young workers from hazards and risks, collaboration and knowledge-sharing among social partners, NGOs and international organizations are crucial to ensure the elimination of child labour and the safe transition of youth into quality jobs. The session provided an opportunity to discuss the upcoming thematic plan of Decent Jobs for Youth on ‘Young workers in hazardous occupations’, as well as to exchange insights and thoughts on the topic from different perspectives.

The panellists focused on sharing good practices to eliminate child labour and supporting the transition of young workers to decent employment. Experiences from Bangladesh and Colombia, as well as from various sectors demonstrated the importance of tailoring youth employment interventions to the specific context, involving local organizations, promoting access to education and skills development, and supporting youth’s transition to the formal economy.

The session included active contributions from the audience, leading to a dynamic discussion on young workers’ rights at work across countries and industries, including agriculture and hospitality.

Session summary

For young workers and young entrepreneurs, being able to organize into unions and business organisations to assert their aspirations, needs, and interests is an essential step towards achieving the goal of decent work. The right to organize is a fundamental freedom but translating such right into practice is often difficult. This session provided a platform for participants to engage with representatives of workers’, employers’ and civil society organizations on the dynamics of building organizations that represent young people’s demands for decent work.

The conversation focused on the challenges in mobilizing young people at the national, regional and international level. The inexperience and lack of networks that come with a young age has created important barriers for youth to implement their ideas, join trade unions or employers’ organizations and organize. The panellists discussed promising approaches to convert the collective voice of youth into actionable outcomes for achieving decent work. The existence of international labour standards was stressed as an opportunity to advance youth’s right to organize. Similarly, coming together as a club of young professionals or cooperatives has helped youth developed networks and gain credibility in the (business) community.

The panellists’ deep dive on the right of young workers and young employers to organize inspired attendees to engage in conversations on the challenges and opportunities of organizing. Young people urged Decent Jobs for Youth to continue strengthening its role as a platform for youth to engage and raise their voices on youth employment issues, as well as on the actions carried out under the aegis of the partnership.

Session summary

The session discussed the manifold problems faced by women in the world of work, and especially hindrances faced on the basis of their gender. It was discussed that although the gender income gap was closing amongst young people, there remain stark disparities in income and employment outcomes between young women and men. A deep dive in Africa highlighted existing gender imbalances in the labour market, especially with regards to discriminatory norms and regulations determining access to housing and credit.

Some solutions discussed during the session to boost productive employment and decent work among young women included (i) increasing gender-specific policies and programmes to facilitate access to credit and land; (ii) promoting women’s groups, clubs and associations to provide solidarity and advice in situations where young women face discriminatory practices; (iii) mainstreaming action against sexual harassment; (iv) furthering advocacy and capacity building on labour rights among young women; (v) boosting curricula that enhances knowledge, skills and confidence of young women including through incentives to take up STEM subjects and digital skills; and (vi) advocating for a societal change that places greater value on women’s unpaid labour.

Session summary

The matchmaking session on ‘Empowering youth for equitable growth in the era of the SDGs’ was organized by the South-South Network for Public Service Innovation (SSN4PSI) under the leadership of a2i – Innovate for All. Matchmaking is a fit-for-purpose approach to empower youth employment stakeholders by learning from and supporting one another while identifying vital innovations and scaling up novel solutions. The matchmaking session provided a platform for 30 representatives from governments, private sector, foundations, youth and civil society organizations, regional and multilateral organization, and academia to share best practices, initiatives and experiences on youth employment and explore their replication.

The following 12 organizations presented a selected youth employment intervention: Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, Nigeria; Digital Skills for Jobs Campaign by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services (İŞKUR), Turkey; SafeYouth@Work Action Plan by the International Labour Organisation (ILO); Integrated Country Approach for Decent Rural Employment (ICA programme) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); EFE Approach in sourcing youth by Education for Employment (EFE); YES! Digital Ecosystem by Plan International; Youth Co:Lab by UNDP; Empowering Marginalized Youth for Job by Save the Children, Bangladesh; TVET Innovation Fund in Kenya by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada and Ministry of Education, Kenya; Skills Training for Advancing Resources (STAR) by BRAC, Bangladesh; Innovations in Apprenticeships: A Skilled Workforce for the Future by UNICEF Bangladesh. The session resulted in 50 matchmaking opportunities among the participating organizations which will be facilitated by the SSN4PSI as a follow up to the conference.

The marketplace is a space for partners to speak about their commitments, innovations, and progress in translating the guiding principles of Decent Jobs for Youth into action.

Session summary

During this session, young change-makers discussed key lessons learned after a day of interactive discussions. They spoke of being able to move from a system of competition to one of collaboration and recognised the difficulties of transitioning to a future of work increasingly informal and digitalized. They appreciated the dialogue around rights and called on partners of Decent Jobs for Youth to apply and support the implementation of international labour standards as well as to promote and continue exercising social dialogue.

The young speakers stressed the importance of considering young people not only as future decision-makers, but also as valuable resources for the present. They welcomed policymakers’ keen interest to strengthen the rights and voices of young people and expressed concern about the specific problems brought up across the day’s sessions, in particular those related to indigenous youth and youth in hazardous occupations.