Youth in Asia-Pacific: An age of opportunity Regional perspectives on Youth and Development ECOSOC 2012 Coordination Segment 10 July 2012 Noeleen Heyzer.
Post on 26-Mar-2015
215 Views
Preview:
Transcript
Youth in Asia-Pacific: An age of opportunity
“Regional perspectives on Youth and Development”ECOSOC 2012 Coordination Segment
10 July 2012
Noeleen HeyzerUnder-Secretary General & Executive Secretary
Content
I. Situation of youth in Asia-Pacific
II. Good practicesIII. Youth policies: the way
forward
I. Situation of youth in Asia-Pacific
Distribution of youth by subregion, Asia-Pacific, 2010(UNDESA, World Population Prospects: the 2010 Revision)
Over 60% of the world’s youth live in Asia-Pacific = 750+ million
347,200,000
253,200,000
109,700,000
South & South-West Asia
South-East AsiaEast & North-East Asia
North & Central
Pacific
5,700,000
36,900,000
Asia-Pacific will achieve the MDGs on education• The region is on track to meet the MDG targets on
education• The MDG target on gender parity in education will be
achieved
• However, barriers remain for vulnerable youth to access education
Gross Enrolment Ratios (GER, in %), 2010 (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, UIS Data Centre)
Completing secondary & tertiary education remains a challenge
95
24
110
80
29
59
17
101106
Primary GER Secondary GER Tertiary GER
Central Asia
East Asia andthe Pacific
South andSouth-WestAsia
Youth unemployment rates by Asia-Pacific subregion(ESCAP, 2011 Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific)
Youth unemployment in Asia-Pacific is relatively low compared to other regions
14.010.9
18.5
10.9
South-EastAsia South & South-West Asia
North &Central Asia
Pacific
Some countries have tapped the demographic dividend
• Parts of East Asia & SE Asia have tapped the demographic dividend
• This requires a mix of social & economic policies to:Promote more investment in human capital
Foster a climate of
research & development
openness to trade
macroeconomic stability
• Such services are frequently not available to unmarried persons
• The adolescent birth rate is still alarmingly high in some countries
Many young people lack access to sexual & reproductive health services
Youth are vulnerable to health risks
• 95% of new HIV infections are among young key affected populations
• In some countries, over 60% of women & girls reported physical & sexual violence by an intimate partner
• In many parts of Asia-Pacific, methamphetamine abuse is rising among young people
• Over half of the region’s population is active online• Nearly 60% of the world’s mobile phone-owning youth live
in Asia • Republic of Korea: world leader in e-connectivity• China: 84% youth use mobile phones to access Internet• Japan: 60% youth access social networks through mobile
phones
Asia-Pacific youth are highly “e-connected”
• Youth are calling for greater accountability & social justice• Philippines: well-developed youth civil society, with youth
participation in local governance• Pakistan: Young Parliamentarian Forum & on-the-job
training for young people in Parliament
Young people are promoting good governance
II. Good practices in Asia-Pacific
Youth are participating in national development•Timor-Leste: Youth Parliament influencing national decision-making
•Sri Lanka: National Youth Services Council established multiple platforms for youth engagement in national development processes
Youth are a force for economic development
• Bangladesh: national policy to increase employability
• Viet Nam: national strategy to generate jobs & reduce unemployment
• China: national initiative to promote entrepreneurship
• India: youth volunteers promote water, sanitation & hygiene
• Pacific: youth leaders address climate change
• Central Asia: youth-led initiatives preserve biodiversity
Youth are defining the future sustainable development agenda
III. Youth policies: the way forward
Invest in youth: it makes economic sense
• Link education & training programmes to labour market demands
• Increase government spending on quality education & training
• Strengthen education & employment support for out-of-school youth
• Generate decent jobs for youth in the formal sector
• Create a sustainable tax benefit system
• Promote universal social protection through a life-cycle approach
Enhance inter-generational contracts
• Integrate information on healthy lifestyles in educational curricula
• Support effective peer education programmes
• Engage young men in programmes & services
Provide youth-friendly information & services to promote healthy lifestyles
• Support evidence-informed policies through knowledge sharing & data collection
• Promote multisectoral cooperation• Engage young people in policy processes• Build leadership, mutual understanding & respect
among youth throughout Asia-Pacific
Enhance regional cooperation to strengthen the youth agenda
Let us invest in youthfor a more
inclusive, resilient & sustainable future!
top related