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.
HOW
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.
Equip young people with skills for the digital economy
EVENTS
WEBINAR: Transitioning youth into the labour market: promises and pitfalls of microcredentials
There is no doubt that microcredentials are disrupting today’s learning and training systems. They offer a flexible alternative to…
Child Soldiers: A Closer Look at the Reality
Terra Renaissance, a Japanese NGO, organizes an online session, "Child Soldiers: A Closer Look at the Reality". This immersive event…
The ILO Academy on Youth Employment
Jointly organised by the ILO's Employment Policy Department and the International Training Centre, the Academy on Youth Employment delivers…
Webinar on Making Skills and Jobs Inclusive of Young Persons with Disabilities
According to the World Report on Disability, 15% of the world’s population is living with a disability. Despite improvements in recent…
2023 International Forum on Youth Entrepreneurship
On the afternoon of November 3rd, the Youth Entrepreneurship International Forum was successfully held in Dalian. More than 100 guests,…
Micro-credentials: Promoting Lifelong Learning and Careers
On the Global Lifelong Learning Summit, ILO and UNICEF/GenU will organize a session on Micro-credentials: Promoting Lifelong Learning…
A Recovery Barometer to Boost Decent Jobs for Youth
The ILO, UN DESA and UNICEF’s anchored Generation Unlimited initiative are organizing a side event on the margins of the ECOSOC Youth Forum…
Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship in Asia-Pacific: Lessons for a Human-centred Recovery
This webinar is co-organized by partners of the UN Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth in collaboration with the ILO and the United…
Beating the odds: Youth on the move as entrepreneurs
Youth Business International will be launching its new report, Beating the odds: Supporting youth on the move to become successful…
Virtual Roundtable: Boosting Decent Jobs and Enhancing Skills for Youth in Africa’s Digital Economy
The ILO, the ITU and the AU are organizing a virtual roundtable featuring multi-stakeholder dialogues to build sustainable partnerships and…
Global Survey on Youth & COVID-19: Impacts on education, employment and social activism
A joint webinar between the John D. Gerhart Center for Philantrophy & Civic Engagement at the American University in Cario and the…
Leading with integrity: a conversation with young entrepreneurs on how doing business with integrity
This webinar will feature practical success stories that highlight the importance of integrity and good governance in setting up and…
Leading with integrity: a conversation with young entrepreneurs on how doing business with integrity
This webinar will feature practical success stories that highlight the importance of integrity and good governance in setting up and…
Alliance for Youth: The Startup Mindset Live-Streaming
Join our live streaming #TheStartupMindset where senior leaders and young entrepreneurs will discuss how to thrive in our current reality…
Microsoft's Digital Event on Skills
Join us to watch a special, global online event on June 30th at 8:00AM US Pacific Time to hear from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and…
World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureats - Leading by Example Program
The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates is internationally recognized among the most important annual events in the field of peacemaking…
Greening Decent Jobs for Youth at COP 25 Climate Change Summit
Decent Jobs for Youth partners will participate in the UN COP25 #TimeForAction Climate Change Summit and share knowledge on research and…
Future of work for youth at One Young World
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the ILO will co-organize a session on the Future of Work at the One Young World…
The Knowledge Fair and Consultation on Financing Decent Work
The Knowledge Fair and Consultation organized by the ILO on 10-11 September 2019 facilitated expert-led consultations and sharing of…
Youth Conference on the Future of Work
The Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (…
Youth Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment (YES) Forum 2019
The second edition of the Youth Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment (YES) Forum offers a platform for young entrepreneurs to share…
Accelerating progress under SDG8 and Promoting full employment and decent work for all
This event features the launch of the ILO report "Time to Act for SDG 8: Integrating Decent Work, Sustained Growth and Environmental…
Learning to Learn for Life and Work on World Youth Skills Day
This event is co-organized by the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN, Permanent Mission of Portugal to the UN, Office of the…
Data Revolution for Ensuring Decent Work for all With A Focus on Youth
This event is a side event of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2019. Participants include representatives from member states,…
What Works in Youth Investment Programmes: Harnessing Joint Efforts to Achieve the SDGs
This event is a side event of the Lisboa+21. It is co-organized by the Office of the Secretary-General's Youth Envoy, UNFPA and ILO under…
Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship: What Works?
This event is a side event of World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth 2019 and Youth Forum Lisboa+21. It is organized by ILO…
ICSB World Congress - The Future of Entrepreneurship
The event is organized by the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) on 18-21 June 2019, in Cairo, Egypt. The event is hosted by…
International Labour Conference 100 Youth Debate
This Youth Debate at the International Labour Conference 100 brings together young leaders from across the globe to share their views about…
Forum Jeunesse estudiantine et Développement durable
Après le Forum sur l’Action pour le Développement durable et le Rôle de la Jeunesse qui a axé ses discussions sur l’Objectif de…
African Youth Unite for Action Forum
The African Youth Unite for Action Forum is a 2-day conference to engage African youth and co-create solutions to the most pressing…
Fiji Youth Speak Forum 2019
Fiji YouthSpeak Forum 2019, organized by AIESEC in Fiji will be the second time this unique event be held in Fiji and the Pacific. It…
Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on SDG 8
In preparation for the 2019 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs…
Annual Meeting of the Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD)
The Annual Meeting aims to assess progress since the birth of the IANYD, almost 10 years ago, and look forward in terms of…
UNIAPAC Africa - General Assembly
Under the theme “Business as a noble vocation”, UNIPAC Africa will be holding a general Assembly in Cabo Verde in May 2019. The event…
Academy on Employment
Responding to current and evolving labour market challenges, the Academy aims to build the capacities of government officials, social…
Summer School on the Future of Work
The world of work looks a little different everyday. These changes, driven by technological innovation, demographics, climate change, and…
Youth Agro-pastoral Entrepreneurship Summit
The 2019 Youth Agropastoral Entrepreneurs Summit is an open space for the different stakeholders to exchange and share knowledge with…
WORLD CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUTH 2019 AND YOUTH FORUM LISBOA +21
In August 1998, several commitments were stated in the Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes, as part of the I World…
AIESEC International Presidents Meeting
AIESEC International Presidents Meeting brings together over 170 young leaders from 120 countries and territories. Through the seven-day…
Future of Work for African Youth Conference
The Future of Work for African Youth Conference is an interactive event aimed at steering dialogue about how Africa can harness the…
Egypt Entrepreneurship Summit 2018
The Egypt Entrepreneurship Summit (EES) 2018 marked the fourth year of the EES. Since its inception in 2015, it has grown…
Global Education Meeting 2018
UNESCO’s Global Education Meeting reviewed progress towards the global education targets and commitments in the 2030 Agenda. It brought a…
The Football for Good Summit 2018
The Football for Good Summit 2018 comprises a series of events ranging from capacity building workshops to regional meetings of the…
Expert Group Meeting 'Youth Social Entrepreneurship and the 2030 Agenda'
On 11 and 12 December 2018, the Division for Inclusive Social Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United…
Global Opportunity Youth Convening
This event marks the inaugural youth convening of the recently announced Global Opportunity Youth Initiative. The goal of this convening is…
Trade 2030 - WTO Public Forum
Technology is transforming our lives and our economies — including the way we trade. As the pace of change continues to increase, this year…
Public Service Innovations through the South-South Network
On the occasion of the Global South-South Development Expo 2018 in New York, a side event on Public Service Innovation Through South-South…
UNCTAD Youth Forum 2018
The 2018 Youth Forum will take place at the headquarters of UNCTAD, at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland as part of the UNCTAD…
Asia-Pacific Forum on Youth Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Asia-Pacific Forum on Youth leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (APFYLIE) will be held on 1 - 3 August 2018 in Baotou, Inner…
Youth Employment in Agriculture as a Solid Solution to ending Hunger and Poverty in Africa
The conference aims to exchange among stakeholders on knowledge and best practices regarding the interfaces between agriculture, youth…
AIESEC International Congress 2018
The AIESEC International Congress will provide a platform for more than 700 youths to celebrate the development of young leadership,…
MSME Day 2018: 'The Youth Dimension'
Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Day is celebrated each year on 27 June. MSME Day 2018 will be dedicated to youth and will…
Youth Entrepreneurship and Self-employment (YES) Forum 2018
The event aims to provide a platform for stakeholders involved in the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth and particularly in the…
Launch of the engagement platform of the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth
On 29 November 2017, partners of Decent Jobs for Youth and other key youth employment actors will meet to jointly launch the engagement…
Ending poverty in all its forms and creating decent jobs for youth
This breakout session of the ECOSOC Youth Forum will provide a platform for Member States, young leaders and youth organizations to discuss…
Supporting evidence-based policies for youth
J-PAL’s mission is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policies are informed by scientific evidenc
Nestlé’s Global Youth Initiative
Nestlé’s ambition is to help 10 million young people around the world have access to economic opp