International Year of Youth: SADC Youth Forum Addresses Rise in Youth Unemployment

International Year of Youth (2010-2011) Officially Launched SADC Youth Forum Addresses Rising Youth Unemployment Fungai Alexander Mapondera for SADC Youth Forum in Lugano, Switzerland, August 12, 2010 – In December 2009, the United Nations (UN) declared this day forth (August 12th) the beginning of the ‘International Year of Youth’. According to the UN, this initiative is an effort to harness the energy, imagination and initiative of the world’s youth in overcoming the challenges facing humankind, from enhancing peace to boosting economic development. The theme for the year will be ‘Dialogue and Mutual Understanding’ as youth bodies encourage all sectors of society to work in partnership with youth and youth organizations to better understand their needs and concerns as well as to recognize the contributions that they can make to society. The International Year of Youth also comes at a time when global youth unemployment rate is at an all time high. According to a new report recently published by the International Labour Organization (ILO), of the 620 million economically active youth between the ages of 15 and 24, 81 million were out of work at the end of 2009. There was a noticeable increase of over 2% from the 2007 figures of 11.9%, therefore making this the highest rate ever. With economies worldwide still recovering from the last 2 year economic slump, the ILO predicts there will be huge numbers of unemployed youths adding to this number. In developed countries the ramifications of high numbers of youth unemployment means societies losing their investment in the education of young people, while governments receive fewer contributions to social security systems and must boost spending on remedial services, according to the ILO report. Closer to home in Africa where developing countries account for almost 90% of the world’s youths, the ramifications are much worse, with a serious threat of social disruption. Individually, figures of youth population may more than double by 2050 according to Carl Haub, senior demographer at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and co-author of the 2009 World Population Data Sheet published a year ago today. “Young people are the drivers of economic development […] Forgoing this potential is an economic waste and can undermine social stability” stressed Mr. Juan Somavia, ILO’s Director General. Far from being the drivers of economic development, with such high numbers of youth population, youths are undoubtedly the building blocks for most developing countries development process. Page 1 of 3

SADC Youth Forum 2010, December 16, Harare, Zimbabwe Later this year to mark its contribution to the International Year of Youth’s initiatives and theme, the SADC Youth Forum and its partners, Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA), Paruware Trust and Joshua Foundation, will be staging an interactive conference that brings together youths, governmental and non- governmental institutions, corporate and academic individuals. The theme of the conference will be ‘Youth Empowerment: Striving for Responsibility and Sustainability’. Youth participation and empowerment are undeniably a sustainable life-long security for any nation. However without proper channels to youth empowerment and unbridled development there is significant threat to the very same development and sustainability effort. In the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region where an average of up to 65% are classified as youths and unemployment relatively high, we have noticed an upsurge in social unrest in the face of economic pressures. Youths are resorting to unsustainable means to eke out a living that in most instances borders on illegality. One of the key messages that will undoubtedly come out of the SADC Youth Forum 2010 is that of youth entrepreneurship. Far from youths and NGOs mapping the way forward in channeling youth idleness that has resulted from high unemployment, the governments and corporate organizations will be under the spot light. For governments they need to put forth policy initiatives and transparent youth projects funding structures that promote responsible and sustainable self sufficiency. For long we have seen successive governments in the region lamenting on the erosion of youth autonomy in the face of funding and aid from foreign institutions that doesn’t address the problems on the ground. However to add to funding initiatives that have been channeled through such institutions as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), most governments in the region have been registering positive economic growth, albeit some not to their fullest potential. This has further put under criticism not their lack of harnessing resources to go towards youth development but how to effectively utilize the funds at their disposal to benefit the youths. Corporate organizations have of lately been shifting their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives away from benchmarks previously set by such institutions as the Global Reporting Initiative to a more consultative approach with stakeholders that accelerate the addressing of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Most notably is the Chevron owned Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (CABGOC) initiatives in enterprise development that have seen an increase in youth business start-up support. The enterprise drive went beyond easier access to micro-finance but also offering qualified business support and vocational training. This not only saw growth for the company but saw entrepreneurs thriving in Cabinda. The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DfID) suggests that growth generated by such organizations will be inclusive, equitable and poverty reducing in the long run there by helping to address such MDGs as poverty reduction and employment creation for youths. With most countries in the region such as South Africa and Zimbabwe in the process of or having moved towards not only youth empowerment but general empowerment of the indigenous populace through Page 2 of 3

participation at corporate level, the onus will be on those upcoming indigenous companies to uphold the need for sustained CSR work that will address youth unemployment in the SADC region. Not only do they understand the developmental needs at grass-roots level but they are at the heart of policy making for most economic initiatives. In his book, ‘Beyond Corporate Social Responsibility’ recently published, Frynas (2009) notes that most emerging markets companies like South Africa’s SASOL have proven that with enough commitment it is possible to make that noticeable difference. Sasol has for long implemented a much more sophisticated and integrated development program. They have invested in income generating projects that foster the long term social and economic development of local communities in South Africa. So it is important for these indigenous entities that, as Zadek (2004) highlighted, that with any business opportunity, the chances to make money by being good must be created, not found. Grass-Roots Economic Empowerment Network (GREEN) Following the SADC Youth Forum 2010, the SADC Youth Forum under the guidance of the Joshua Foundation and in partnership with CIYDA will be embarking on establishing a framework to be piloted in Zimbabwe and made available to other countries in the SADC region. GREEN aims to reduce poverty and unemployment amongst the youth in poor, marginalized and disadvantaged communities through a broad-based socio- economic empowerment project targeted at grassroots communities. The projects in different communities will run for a minimum of 24 months and will require a concerted effort not only from NGOs but corporate and governmental organizations. The project work will span an expansive array of expertise and we hope that many organizations will sign up to the initiative. About the Author Fungai Alexander Mapondera is currently a masters student in Economics and Communication Sciences majoring in Corporate Communication with minor in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI). In his student capacity, he also works for the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, a UN recognised umbrella organization for PR and Communication Management associations worldwide whose headquarters are in Lugano. Fungai has previously attained a BA Hons degree in Business Economics and Business Law from the University of Portsmouth’s Business School in the United Kingdom that has saw him develop a keen interest in social entrepreneurship. Amongst his past awards have been from the University of Portsmouth’s Enterprise Development department and the Jobzippers Scholarship Award. In line with his social entrepreneurship aspirations, Fungai is the founder of Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) and has been instrumental in establishing the SADC Youth Forum. Fungai can be contact at: fungai.alexander.mapondera@usi.ch or f.mapondera@ciyda.org. Page 3 of 3

International Year of Youth: SADC Youth Forum Addresses Rise in Youth Unemployment

by Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) on Aug 12, 2010

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

3 Embeds 5

Statistics

International Year of Youth: SADC Youth Forum Addresses Rise in Youth Unemployment — Document Transcript

http://maponderaciyda.blogspot.com	2
http://www.maponderaciyda.blogspot.com	2
http://www.slideshare.net	1