No end to youth unemployment - UN

- 26.08.2009

The United Nations (UN) has predicted that youth unemployment in developing countries would witness further increase, if current global economic recession continues.

In a statement, on Tuesday, in Lagos, the UN stated that youths accounted for 40 per cent of unemployed people in developed countries and more in developing nations.

The statement was issued by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The statement signed by UNIC’s information Officer, Mr Nosa Osazuwa, said: “The global economic downturn means that, in the near term, youth unemployment will continue to climb.

“Unemployment rates tell only part of the story, especially for the vast majority of youths who live in developing countries.

“For them, informal, insecure and low-wage employment is the norm, not the exception.”

The UN said that youths had made significant contributions to national development in many countries but regretted that many developing countries lacked effective programmes for them.

It said that they had not also been given adequate opportunity to prove themselves while their access to quality education had increasingly become limited.

“Indeed, young people have proven themselves to be key partners in sustainable development.

“In many instances, they have helped their governments and communities to formulate poverty reduction strategies, entrepreneurial schemes and many other policies and initiatives,” it said.