Catalyzing Cost-Effective Solutions to Connect Youth to Decent Livelihoods
The Global Leadership Council gathers to build partnerships and unlock resources to scale proven models that connect youth to opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship, and social impact at scale.
New York, May 2 – Global leaders from governments, corporations, foundations, United Nations agencies, civil society, and young people gathered in an event hosted by Generation Unlimited (GenU) to explore solutions for connecting young people to meaningful livelihoods.
Today, only around 1 in 4 of the world’s young people are on track to acquire the skills they need to secure jobs.1 Meanwhile, over 78 per cent of employed youth are in the informal sector, often working in poorer conditions and with less social protection.2
Urgent action is needed to change this trajectory. But it's not enough to teach young people relevant skills; we must ensure they lead to meaningful livelihood opportunities. Scaling initiatives that promote job creation and prepare youth for the changing job market, particularly in green and digital economies, is essential to help them attain dignified livelihoods.
Various promising interventions have proven to effectively connect learning with livelihoods, including job counseling, employment services, entrepreneurship promotion, training and skills development, subsidized employment, and more. With GenU's growing network of public-private-youth partners and our global footprint of operations, we are in a unique position to ramp up support for a growing number of young people in their transition to decent work.
Bob Moritz, Global Chair of PwC and Co-chair of the Global Leadership Council (GLC), set the tone for the meeting by underlining the crucial role of partnerships to unlock investment in cost-effective, proven solutions that can accelerate upskilling and job connection for young people. “The magic lies in connecting young people to livelihood opportunities. Supply through newly skilled individuals meets demand to create personal and collective livelihoods,” Moritz said.
Despite current challenges, Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, offered optimism that we can transform the outlook for young people. “There are 1.1 billion young people coming of age in the Global South in the next decade, but right now, we are not creating enough opportunities for them,” said Banga. “Projections suggest we'll only generate 325 million jobs. Fortunately, forecasts are not destiny. We can turn the tide. It will take hard work, proven solutions, and your support. We need to do much more to develop foundational skills like literacy, harness technology advances and provide training for skills that are needed in growing economies.”
Banga’s remarks were followed by a presentation from Mia Seppo, Assistant Director-General for Jobs & Social Protection, at the International Labour Organization (ILO), who shared some of the findings from an upcoming study co-authored by the ILO and the World Bank on the impact of youth employment interventions on labor market outcomes of youth.
“Investing in decent jobs for youth through evidence-based youth employment programmes pays off,” Seppo concluded.
Following Seppo's compelling evidence of the foundational elements of successful youth employment initiatives, which is set to influence the direction of multiple ongoing youth employment efforts within our partner network, GenU Brazil’s 1MiO initiative was spotlighted. 1MiO is a cross-sectoral initiative by GenU Brazil involving private sector, governments, civil society and youth that is successfully promoting school-to-work transition for hundreds of thousands of young people in Brazil.
Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, UNICEF Representative in Brazil, underscored the key factors contributing to the success of 1MiO, including its diverse partnerships and its focus on the most marginalized youth, and positioning decent work as a protective strategy for adolescents.
“With a focus on employment and income, skills development, and youth engagement, with 1MiO we have been able to achieve a major positive transition from learning to earning which has reached 300,000 vulnerable young people in Brazil,” said Abdel-Jelil.
Sefora Kodjo, an alumna of GenU’s Young People’s Action Team shared her journey from learning to earning, along with the numerous obstacles she encountered while transitioning from school to work. She stressed the urgent need for help in getting young people into good jobs, highlighting how young people are falling behind in finding meaningful work due to a lack of training and meaningful opportunities.
"I call on each of you to recognize the potential of collaboration across different sectors," Kodjo urged, calling for public-private-youth partnerships to address the diverse needs of young people. "Let’s commit to creating a world where every young person can access the tools they need to succeed in dignified and sustainable livelihood pathways."
Ahmed Hussen, Canadian Minister of International Development spoke about the crucial role of securing meaningful livelihoods for young people, who are facing disproportionate challenges in transitioning to work. “Youth education, training and employment are critical priorities for Canada. There’s no question in my mind that the next generation is brimming with creativity, talent and motivation to succeed. It’s up to us to listen to youth, learn from them and help connect them with opportunities to unlock their full potential.”
Li Junhua, Under-SecretaryGeneral for Economic and Social Affairs spoke about the partnership of UN DESA and GenU. “The partnership between UN DESA and GenU has been a powerful force in advancing key connections between youth and the SDGs. We have ignited a global conversation on equipping young people with green skills, connecting them with opportunities and empowering them to explore options for the future,” said USG Li .
Diving into GenU’s successful partnership model and the importance of its increased focus on digital and green skills, and gender-responsive programming, Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF and co-chair of the GLC, said: “We all share an important commitment to connect learning to livelihood and today’s opportunities with tomorrow’s sustainable growth. At GenU, I’ve seen the growing synergy between public and private sector partners and youth leaders, which has been pivotal for fostering opportunities for millions of young people globally. We are not just talking about preparing youth for the future of work – we are actively bridging the gap between learning and earning.”
Highlighting GenU’s upcoming 2023 results which are set for publication in May, Kevin Frey, Chief Executive Officer of GenU shared encouraging new data from GenU’s global operations: “An increasing focus for GenU is what we call ‘transformative outcomes—the highest-level impact we’re trying to achieve,” said Frey. “And among the 64 million young people reached in 2023, 2.3 million achieved ‘transformative Outcomes,’ encompassing job placement, business creation, or social impact ventures.”
“The need to connect young people to job opportunities has never been more pressing. By creating partnerships and investing in tailored skilling and employment programmes for young people, we're creating jobs and empowering the next generation to drive innovation and build a brighter future,” said Frey.
Lemogang Kwape, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of the Republic of Botswana also spoke about the success that the public-private-youth model is showing in Botswana to unlock opportunities for young people. “The task before us is to forge effective partnerships that create jobs, and foster environments where young people can flourish as entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders, Kwape said.
We were also thrilled to extend an additional welcome to new Global Leadership Council members, Jessica Anderen, CEO of IKEA Foundation; Felipe Paullier Olivera, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs of the United Nations Youth Office; and Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Following the keynotes, discussions focused on scaling successful programmes connecting youth—particularly young women—to livelihood opportunities. In the coming months, GenU will work with public, private and youth partners to advance the priorities and partnership opportunities discussed during the meeting. Connecting young people to livelihoods is a priority for GenU throughout the remainder of its 2022-2025 Strategy, with the goal of reaching 300 million youth with skilling, employment, entrepreneurship and social impact opportunities.
About Generation Unlimited
Launched by the UN Secretary-General at the 2018 UN General Assembly, Generation Unlimited is the world's first Public-Private-Youth Partnership on a mission to skill and connect the world’s 1.8 billion young people to opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship and social impact. Anchored in UNICEF, the partnership brings together global organizations and leaders including Heads of State, CEOs, Heads of UN agencies, and civil society champions with young people to co-create and deliver innovative solutions on a global scale.
