World Youth Report 2005

10-Year Review of the World Programme of Action for Youth

This presentation

1. Introduction and concepts2. Highlights of the World Youth Report

2005 (E/2005/7)3. Recommendations of the report4. Next steps

1. Introduction and concepts

What is youth?

A statistical definition: 15-24 years A period of transition from protection in

childhood to self-determination in adulthood

Why does the concept change?

Changes in historical age Changes in social age

How do youth fit in globally?

Children (<15) 1.8 billion 30%

Youth (15-24) 1.1 billion 18%

Adults (25-64) 2.8 billion 46%

Elderly (65>) 0.4 billion 7%

Total 6.1 billion 100%

Over 1 billion youth – 85 per cent in the South

Asia and the Pacific 659 million

Africa 161 million

Latin America and the Caribbean

101 million

North America 42 million

Europe 100 million

2. Main highlights of the Report

Ten priorities of the United Nations for youth

1. Education2. Employment3. Hunger and

poverty4. Health issues5. The environment

6. Drug abuse7. Delinquency8. Leisure9. Girls and young

women10. Participation in

decision-making

Three clusters

Youth in the global economy Poverty, education, employment

Youth in civil society Environment, leisure, participation

Youth at risk Health, drugs, delinquency, girls and young

women

Youth in the Global Economy

Hunger and PovertyEducation

Employment

Hunger and Poverty

Hunger and Poverty

How many young people live in poverty?

Undernourished: up to 160 million On <$1 per day: 206 million On <$2 per day: 515 million

World Youth Report 2005, Table 1, page 5

Coping with poverty

Labour: “forced” entrepreneurship and self-employment in the informal sector

Migration of young workers: Domestic: rural-urban migration

(50-50 point rural/urban population was reached in 2002)

International migration(175 million migrants in 2002)

Education

Education – The Good News

The “best-educated generation” ever:

Since 1995, more children than ever complete primary school

Four out of five eligible youth are in secondary education

Some 100 million youth currently in tertiary education

Education – The Bad News

Large differences globally:

130 million children currently not in school

133 million youth are illiterate Large gender differences Large differences between groups of

countries

Employment

Employment

88 million young people were out of work in 2004 (up from 58 million in 1995)

Youth unemployment has a lasting impact on a young life

Youth are almost half of the world’s unemployed

Globalization forces young people to become increasingly competitive internationally

Youth unemployment

The international response: An increased notion of a

demographic bulge with dangers for stability and security

World Summit for Social Development

MDG 8: Partnership for Youth Employment (YEN)

Youth in Civil Society

Youth and the environmentLeisure-time activities

Participation in decision-making

Youth and the environment

Youth and the environment

Youth have a special concern for the environment

Youth have a special responsibility for the environment

Messages in the media and the education system are most crucial to activate young people’s involvement

But participation in decision-making is essential.

Leisure

Leisure-time activities

Leisure = discretionary hours not in school and not in paid work

Is beneficial for the young person’s development and promotes social integration and cohesion of society

Participation in decision-making

Participation in decision-making

Youth participation, through dialogue and consultation, promotes social integration and cohesion in society

New forms of participatory structures among youth in the past ten years: away from membership-based organizations towards looser, network-based structures

Yet, still very active student movements that bring about social change

Youth at Risk

HealthDrug abuse

Juvenile delinquencyGirls and young women

Young people and health

Young people and health

Some health risks of young people: Reproductive health risks

Unsafe sex, contraception, teenage pregnancy Behavioral risks: 1 million deaths worldwide

Accidents Violence Alcohol, tobacco, and drugs

Risk of poverty-related disease Pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles, HIV/AIDS

Drug abuse

Drug abuse

Most alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use starts during adolescence

Supply side: slow progress on restrictions (curbs on advertising and marketing), yet more choice of drugs

Demand : Globalization of demand for drugs among young people (more high rates in ever-more countries)

“Typical” lifetime drug use rates,

youth age 15-16, OECD countries_____________________________ Alcohol: 68 to 98 per cent Tobacco: 47 to 86 per cent_____________________________ Cannabis: 35 to 43 per cent Inhalants: up to 22 per cent Ecstasy: 4 to 5 per cent_____________________________Conclusion: Many young people have been in

contact with drugs

Source: World Youth Report 2003, Chapter 6 table 3

Juvenile Delinquency

Young people are more likely to commit an offense than any other group

U.S. Arrests per 1,000, by Age

0

40

80

120

160

200

<10 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64

Source: U.S. Census estimates, 1999 Uniform Crime Report

Juvenile Delinquency

Most young people will eventually desist from criminal or deviant behavior

Some delinquency takes place in youth subcultures (gangs)

Policy option: “Deter and incapacitate” or “engage and rehabilitate”

Girls and young women

Girls and young women

Gender-based stereotyping, including discrimination

Unequal treatment in the worlds of education and work

Access to reproductive health services to prevent STDs and pregnancy

Violence against women; female infanticide, genital mutilation; sexual abuse and exploitation

Five “New” Youth Issues since 1995

World Youth Report 2003, and noted in GA resolution 58/133:

Globalization (youth in a global economy)

ICT (youth in civil society)

HIV/AIDS (youth at risk)

Youth and conflict prevention (youth at risk)

Intergenerational relations (youth in civil society)

Youth and Globalization

Youth and Globalization

Economic globalization – two views: Benefits young people: they are quick adapters Hurts young people: they are being exploited

Social aspects of globalization: young people come closer together: local issues

become global issues vice versa: glocalization it has created a more uniform youth culture -> see

next topic.

Information and communication technology

Information and communication technology Traditional forms of socialization of young

people are being challenged New technology brings a uniform culture of

Information Pleasure Autonomy

A new global youth culture, increasingly media-driven

HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS

Almost 12 million young men and women live with HIV/AIDS

5,000 to 6,000 young people get infected every day – 2 million new cases in 2004

Gender imbalance in infection rates >95 percent of all infections among

young people through unsafe sex, In some regions: young IDUs and MSM

Young people and conflict

Young people and conflict

Young people are offenders and victims - they kill and are being killed, more than any other group.

111 armed conflicts over the last decade

2 million deaths and 5 million wounded 300,000 child soldiers have been

fighting in some 49 countries

Intergenerational issues

Youth in an ageing world

1813 1931 1957

10621216 1286

2761

3964

4625

418

824

1454

2000 (6.1bn) 2025 (7.9bn) 2050 (9.3bn)

<15 15-24 25-64 65>

Intergenerational issues

An ageing society: 4 times as many old people in 2050

Increasing dependency ratios Multi-generational societies Who gets to decide on how to share the

resources?

3. Recommendations of the Report

Twelve main findings of the report

1. Need for new commitment to youth2. Urbanization, globalization, ICT and media

lead to convergence of youth cultures3. Youth policy is driven by negative

stereotypes4. Start with children5. Scale up investment in youth6. Youth can be partners in reaching the MDGs

=>

Twelve main findings of the report

7. Need for integrated youth policies8. Indicators allow for better measurement of

progress9. Increased coordination within the UN system10. GA may endorse the 5 new issues11. Youth delegates should participate in the GA12. Governments should continuously review

their youth policy

4. Next steps: Plenary meetings of the 60th General Assembly

Preparations for the GA sessions on youth

Consultations with youth organizations:

Consultative meetings held with youth organizations in Coimbra, Portugal, 31/1 – 3/2/05, and in New York, 14-17/2/05

Interagency collaboration in support for the review and the youth face of the MDGs:

National reviews by youth organizations: “Toolkit”

These consultations will be reflected in an SG Report to be submitted in addition to the World Youth Report 2005

National youth policy evaluations

Making Commitments Matter: A Toolkit to Evaluate National Youth Policy

•Hard copies available in English, French, Spanish

• Available for download at www.un.org/youth

• Also available on CD-ROM

Review World Programme of Action for Youth, 2005

The General Assembly’s “WPAY+10” review could:

Recommit Member States to youth Raise awareness of global youth concerns Celebrate the positive role of youth in society and

their contribution to achieving the MDGs Build new partnerships with youth for development Provide new mandates for interagency work and

indicators on youth development

Agreed outcome could encompass this vision for the future.

Thank you!

www.un.org/youthyouth@un.org