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Global and Regional ICT-4D Events Calendar
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| Event Title: |
Global Youth Employment Summit
04-Oct-2004
to 07-Oct-2004
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| Venue: |
Veracruz, Mexico |
| Secretariat: |
YES Campaign Office
Tel. +1 617 618 2724 |
| Email: |
info@yesweb.org |
| Website: |
http://www.yesweb.org/mexico |
| Description/Theme: |
BOSTON, February 10, 2004. The Federal Government of Mexico and the YES
Campaign announce the Youth Employment Summit (YES), to be held in
Veracruz, Mexico, October 4-7, 2004.
The Institute of Youth, Mexico's government agency responsible for youth,
will work in partnership with the US-based YES Campaign to invite 1,000
youth
development practitioners, government officials, business leaders, youth
leaders and NGOs to Veracruz. Major issues on the agenda are slated to include
entrepreneurship, renewable energy, HIV / AIDS and youth participation in
civic affairs.
Mr. Cristian Castaño, Director of the Institute of
Youth, says Mexico welcomes the opportunity to play a leadership role in
examining world's best practices in youth development issues relating to
employment. "The YES Campaign has vigorously put youth employment on the
agenda, and the Mexican Government supports the campaign's efforts. YES 2004
will be a tremendously exciting opportunity for senior leaders to meet the
next generation of dynamic youth, the people who will lead our grandchildren
into the future. The people who will gather in Mexico next year represent
an opportunity for the various strands of thinking in development
economics to come together in a rare inter-generational atmosphere of exchange and learning."
The
YES Campaign, launched in Egypt in 2002, works with government, business
and civil groups in many countries to alert leaders to the global crisis
in youth employment. It is estimated by the United Nations Fund for Population
(UNFPA) that one billion youth will enter the labor market by 2012. The YES
Campaign contends that conventional policies for education and investment
are dangerously insufficient to prepare for the arrival of a generation of
young people the International Labor Organization calls a "demographic bonus".
Poonam Ahluwalia, the naturalized US citizen from India who leads the YES
Campaign,
puts the case for a fresh approach to youth livelihood creation. "Rural youth
are moving to the cities where there are few and poorly paid informal sector
jobs for urban migrants. We need to try and reverse this by investing in
rural communities. Likewise, graduates of schools and universities are languishing
without decent work for years after graduation. We can ease the transition
to work with targeted mentoring and entrepreneurship programs."
A
partnership between youth and senior leaders is central to the YES Campaign.
According to Esteban Gonzalez, YES Campaign co-chair, the organizers will
promote YES 2004 to Ministries of Youth, Labor and Social Affairs, seeking
their participation. "We invite all interested parties to join us in Mexico.
Opportunities exist for employment in sectors such as renewable energy and
health, where civil society, business and governmental institutions can find
fertile ground for partnership. The YES Campaign seeks to expand our thinking
on these issues."
To carry the goals of the YES Campaign into the
offices of leaders in every country, YES encouraged the formation of national
networks in 2001-2. YES Country Networks now operate in more than 60 countries,
chalking up impressive achievements in public policy reform and project implementation.
Members of YES Networks will be among country delegations in 2004.
The
event is billed as "a unique meeting of generations to shine a light on a
largely ignored global crisis", according to YES youth coordinator, Dumisani
Nyoni. "Creating a space where young leaders can make a case for reform and
personal initiative before a global audience doesn't happen every day. YES
Mexico is going to be special and we're energized to make it work."
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