MEDIA RELEASE
Global Youth Employment Summit to be Hosted by Mexican Government in 2004
BOSTON, November 4, 2003. 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 Castaņo, 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."
YES Mexico 2004 website, www.yesweb.org/mexico
Online Registration: http://www.yesweb.org/mexico/register.html
Dates: October 4-7, 2003
USA Contact: YES Office
Tel. +1 617 618 2724
Email. info@yesweb.org
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 02/10/04 EST