This document summarizes a project on youth inclusion between the EU and OECD. It identifies key challenges facing youth globally, such as high unemployment, skills mismatches, and lack of participation in decision-making. The project aims to support countries in developing evidence-based youth policies and increasing youth involvement in national development. It will work with 10 selected countries in different regions to develop tools and country studies on youth well-being and policies. The project expects to produce national action plans and recommendations to better promote youth inclusion through international cooperation.

1. Youth Inclusion
Presentation of the EU-OECD Youth Inclusion Project
Steering Committee meeting
Brussels, April 30, 2015
This project is co-funded by
the European Union

2. 2
Key Challenges and Policy Trends
 While world leaders are committing themselves to the post 2015 agenda
there is daunting evidence that a large segment of youth in both
developed and developing countries continues to experience well-
being deprivations.
 Youth challenges in the world:
 Youth bulge (Africa)
 Large education and health gaps
 Violence (Latin America, MENA)
 Skills mismatch
 Youth joblessness (MENA)
 Low quality jobs and informality
 Exclusion from decision making processes
 Nearly 2 out of 3 countries in the world today have a national youth
policy: There is a growing political will among many national
governments to develop comprehensive policy frameworks that better
respond to young peoples’ needs and aspirations.

3. 3
Objective
 The objective of the project is to support participating
countries better respond to the needs of young people
through evidence-based policies and strengthen youth
involvement in national development processes.

4. 4
Selected Countries
Criteria for selection: Geographical balance, level of development
(low income and lower middle income countries) and political will.
The intensity and nature of youth challenges vary across regions and
countries.
Asia Africa Latin America E. Europe &
Middle East
Cambodia Côte d’Ivoire El Salvador Jordan
Viet Nam Ethiopia Peru Moldova
S. Africa
Togo

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Share of the population aged 15-24 (%)
Source: UN World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision
Comparative statistics
Average 2015 (19%)

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Teenage pregnancy and motherhood
Comparative statistics
Share of women 15-19 who are mothers or pregnant (%)
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys, STATcompiler

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Comparative statistics
HIV Prevalence
Share of youth aged 15-24 who are infected with HIV, by sex (%)
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators

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Comparative statistics
HIV Prevalence
Share of youth aged 15-24 who are infected with HIV, by sex (%)
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators

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School drop-out
Drop-out rate, Primary education
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Comparative statistics

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School drop-out
Drop-out rate, lower secondary education
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Comparative statistics

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Literacy
Youth literacy rate, 15-24
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Comparative statistics

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Employment
Employment-to-population ratio, youth 15-24 (%)
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators
Comparative statistics

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Unemployment
Unemployment rate, youth 15-24 (%)
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators
Comparative statistics

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Comparative statistics
Youth neither in education nor in employment or training
(NEETs)
NEET rate, youth 15-29, 2012-13 (%)
Source: SWTS 2012-13, ILO W4Y Project publications

15. 15
Key Deliverables
 Development of a global methodology (toolkit) to assist countries in
developing, implementing and strengthening youth inclusion strategies;
 10 country studies (Youth Well-Being and Policy Reviews) produced as a
result of the application of the toolkit in partner countries;
 Capacity building to ensure understanding and use of the tools by local
policy makers and researchers;
 Establishment of national policy working groups to discuss the process
and findings of the country studies;
 Elaboration of national action plans on youth inclusion based on
recommendation of the country studies;
 Recommendations for the EC and the donor community at large on how
to better support youth inclusion strategies in developing countries
though international cooperation.