SustainUS Policy Priorities - Commission for Social Development, 46th Session

“Promoting Full Employment And Decent Work For All”

Young people represent approximately 25% of the global workforce, yet 43.7% of the world's unemployed. The promotion of full employment and decent work for all is incredibly important to today's youth. Indeed, it is a goal that many in our society share. Workers seek a livable wage; businesses strive to maximize productivity; governments aim for economic growth. Tragically, society often fails to reach all of these goals. Additionally, full employment and decent work are not always correlated, and there are many times in which one is left without the other.

Youth everywhere recognize that their future is at stake; our generation will experience the long-term effects of today’s policies. Youth deserve a voice in determining a global course of action - in determining our future. We, as youth, are looking to work with the international community to continue making progress in areas of social development. We believe a series of strong goals and indicators are pivotal in addressing the issues outlined below.

Education and Training -

• Place focus on practical and relevant skills for the available job market. In addition, ensure that secondary education is the minimum level of schooling for all youth. It is also critically important to recognize the value of informal education. For those countries facing high unemployment rates, an increased integration of vocational training in primary, secondary, and tertiary education should be supported.
• Support internships, apprenticeships, and other forms of pre-employment preparation to improve chances of securing entry level employment. The availability of such programs also promotes an increased awareness of existing employment opportunities.
• Youth must have increased access to knowledge of existing employment and educational opportunities. It is also important that these existing programs and materials be available in local languages and dialects, as well as multiple mediums to allow for the greatest possible access. In addition, it is important to promote bilingualism among youth whose native language is not the official language, so they can better adapt to the mainstream workforce. Language training would also promote greater access to employment information. Resources should be devoted to expanding and improving current language programs.
• Support quality education and training that includes both the acquisition of skills and knowledge.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) -

• Stress the use of ICT in educational systems as they can greatly enhance the learning process, prepare students for an increasingly information-driven global economy, and disseminate information and knowledge to remote areas that are cut off from current global information systems.
• Promote cheaper, faster, more reliable, and widespread internet access. This should be a priority for educational development programs.
• Effective internet portals should be provided as a means for individual educational efforts.

Government Intervention and Assistance -

• Governments must meet their responsibility to assist in the promotion of youth education and training, both of which provide the skills necessary for young people to find full employment and decent work. Governments should consider the allotment of financial incentives to firms who hire young interns, so as to enhance pre-professional education and future integration into the company.
• Affirmative action and incentives should be expanded. Point 28 of the Secretary-General's report for the 45th CSocD encourages "Governments to set an example by employing persons with disabilities in the public sector... through affirmative action and incentives, among other things." Such programs must also include other marginalized groups, including, but not limited to, youth.
• Push for governments, especially in developing countries, to encourage the growth of the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector through increased market access, tax benefits, and business development services. This may be assisted through the use of micro-finance. However, it should not be assumed micro-finance mechanisms are flawless. There are many aspects which may prove problematic on a case-by-case basis, such as loan repayment coercion.
• Insist that all governments support The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, The International Migration Convention, the International Labor Organization, and The Convention on The Rights of the Child.

Youth Labor Protection -

• Prohibit the exploitation of youth and increase penalties for the non-compliance of labor protection laws. As the report by the Secretary General states, "Firms cannot be the guarantors of the core labour standards and human rights, as this is the proper responsibility of the State." Firms should abide by international labor standards when states do not provide strong protection.
• A problem arises when governments in developing countries have incentives to lower labor regulations for multinational corporations (MNCs) in order to attract foreign direct investment. Such attempts to lower labor regulations in favor of investment should be banned.

Migration -

• Prioritize migration as an issue to be addressed by the international community. The effects of migration are increasingly felt in the global North as well as in the global South, but it remains one of the least addressed aspects of globalization. Recently, the United Nations has been rising to the challenges of international migration, a topic which just a few years ago people saw as too sensitive to tackle. In just the last three years, the Secretary General has established both the Global Migration Group, as well as a Global Forum on Migration and Development. We are in a unique position to take stronger steps to confront the challenges as well as embrace the opportunities raised by migration.
• Forbid the exploitation of migrant employees. The nearly 200 million people seeking employment through migration is especially relevant to the theme of “Promotion of Full Employment and Decent Work for All.” Many of these migrants are women and children, groups whose vulnerability to exploitation is compounded by such status. Some related issues include mothers who leave dependents behind, families who are separated by migration/deportation, and trafficking--which often affects children and young people. Migrants may not always face unemployment, but rather the issue of decent employment. In many countries, protection of basic human rights for migrant workers is denied.

Youth Empowerment -

• Encourage and increase opportunities for youth participation in international forums. Youth should be encouraged as organizers, entrepreneurs, and agents of change.