Why
Studies show that young people want to start businesses, yet the established business rate among adults is substantially higher than it is for youth. This implies that young people face higher barriers to entrepreneurship than adults, and there is a need for better policies aimed at enabling young entrepreneurs to realize their ambitions. Youth-led enterprises also primarily employ their peers, which could potentially catalyze more quality job creation in an enabling environment.
What
Decent Jobs for Youth focuses on supporting the development of policies, regulations and institutions that enable and encourage the creation of youth-led enterprises. To tackle weak skills and knowledge transfer, it is crucial to foster peer-to-peer support networks. Improving access to adequate information, training, finance and technology can help lift many of the obstacles that prevent young people from succeeding in business.
Who
The ILO, ITC, UNCDF, UNCTAD and UNIDO lead on this thematic priority. Decent Jobs for Youth brings together a growing number of partners who are committed to unleashing the potential of youth entrepreneurship and self-employment through fostering enabling environments and improving access to productive assets.
Empower Youth in Fragile Situations in Africa
Terra Renaissance empowers youth in conflict-affected African countries (Uganda, DRCongo, Burundi) to access decent work through economic and psychosocial support. The commitment targets around 1500 youth in fragile situations, like former child soldiers, refugees, street children, and other conflict-affected people. They receive vocational training, kits to start income-generating activities, advisory service and social activities until 2025. In general, the commitment aims to 1) help young people (BHN) through projects, and it contributes to 2) enhance the resilience of themselves and their community in the long term.
Creating pathways into decent, green careers
Prince’s Trust International and partners commit to creating pathways into decent and green careers for young people aged 15-35, from low-income backgrounds. From April 2022 to March 2025, we will support 33,021 young people (min. 50% female) from India, Pakistan, Greece, Jordan, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, through employment and entrepreneurship programmes, with a focus on the green economy. We will equip young people with the necessary skills and knowledge and provide them with opportunities to move into employment or self-employment, including within green sectors. Funding is a mix of government, corporate, and philanthropic.