The 2019 World Youth Report is set to provide policy guidance for the development of national ecosystems leveraging youth social entrepreneurship for the Sustainable Development Goals. The report marks UN DESA’s commitment to the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

(New York) – The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) has pledged its contribution to the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, dedicating its efforts to promote youth employment through the 2019 World Youth Report on Youth Social Entrepreneurship. This commitment was announced by Ms Daniela Bas, Director of DESA’s Division for Inclusive Social Development, on the occasion of a high-level meeting on “Addressing Inequalities through Youth Entrepreneurship” during the 57th Commission for Social Development (CSocD57) held on 20 February 2019 at the UN Headquarters in New York. The 2019 World Youth Report examines the role of youth social entrepreneurship as a financially sustainable and social transformative tool to accelerate progress toward the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UN DESA’s commitment aligns with the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth and its thematic priority on youth entrepreneurship and self-employment, recognising that aspiring and existing young entrepreneurs can contribute to more inclusive societies.

The Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Decent Jobs for Youth was launched in 2016 as a UN system-wide effort, focusing on the youth employment challenge that is part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It has now become a global, multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together governments, social partners, the private sector, youth and civil society organizations, and others. They work together to share knowledge, leverage resources and take action at country and regional level, with current commitments aimed at supporting more than 18 million young people in accessing decent work and productive employment worldwide. Decent Jobs for Youth has 15 guiding principles that steer the actions and investments of its partners, including UN DESA. These include a rights-based approach, promotion of gender equality, and stronger coherence between public policy and private sector initiatives.

UN DESA’s commitment to Decent Jobs for Youth builds on the launch of the UN Youth Strategy in September 2018 by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr António Guterres. The Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth is envisioned to serve as an implementing mechanism of the UN Youth Strategy’s pillar on Economic Empowerment through Decent Work. Commitments are pledges to tackle the critical barriers that prevent young people from accessing decent work and improve the quantity and quality of jobs, in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. The focus on youth social entrepreneurship is critical to empower youth as active agents of change, addressing social, economic and environmental challenges. 

For more information about Decent Jobs for Youth please visit www.decentjobsforyouth.org or contact:

• Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth | Email: decentjobsforyouth@ilo.org


• Mr Amine Lamrabat | UN DESA | Email: lamrabat@un.org