Fátima Báñez, Minister of Employment and Social Security of Spain, has committed her country to support the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth , the first ever United Nations system-wide effort for the promotion of youth employment. As trade has stagnated, so too has trade-related employment around the world. The Minister and ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, signed a technical cooperation agreement pledging 2 million euros to
enhance youth employment action around the globe under the aegis of the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth. The agreement reinforces Spain’s leading role in promoting youth employment and its commitment to decent work for all, in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development .
Highlighting the importance of investing in young people and smoothing their transition into the labour market, Ms Báñez stressed the opportunity offered by the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth to synergize and catalyse global efforts for youth employment, boosting the scale of action and positively impacting the lives of young women and men everywhere.
As a member of the Global Initiative, the Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social Security will work with the ILO and partners to advocate, ensure policy convergence, stimulate innovative thinking and mobilize resources for more and better investments in youth employment.
The ILO Director-General commended Spain’s efforts for youth employment and expressed great appreciation for the commitment to the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth.
More on Decent Jobs for Youth, the Global Initiative for Action. The Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth is the overarching platform for the promotion of youth employment in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Decent Jobs for Youth, designed by a task team under the leadership of the ILO, is based on an alliance of committed partners taking action across a variety of thematic priorities, sharing knowledge and leveraging resources in order to scale up action, maximize impact, and create real change for young people.
It relies on four interconnected elements: Alliance – A strategic multi-stakeholder alliance advocates, ensures policy convergence, stimulates innovative thinking and mobilizes resources for more and better investments in youth employment. It is comprised of governments, social partners, the private sector, the UN system, other regional and multilateral organizations, parliamentarians, youth and civil society organizations, foundations, academia and the media.
Action – The Initiative scales up evidence-based action at regional and country levels, ensuring ownership and coherence with national development goals. Its thematic priorities include: digital skills, quality apprenticeship, green jobs for youth, youth’s transition to the formal economy, youth in the rural economy, youth in fragile situations, youth entrepreneurship and self-employment, and youth in hazardous occupations. Knowledge – A global Knowledge Facility will capture, analyse and widely share best practices and innovation, enhance capacity development and facilitate peer learning about what works to improve labour market outcomes of youth.
Resources – The Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth continuously advocates for high-level commitment of local and international actors to increase resources through present and future funding facilities to enable scaling up activities in support of decent jobs for both young women and men in the most inclusive and transparent manner.
