U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday urged the world's governments to invest more in youth employment initiatives and promote decent work for all. "I believe employment and decent work, particularly for young people, are the backbone of development," Ban told the U.N. International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva. "Yet we are facing a great test of our time – an epidemic of youth unemployment." Ban noted that half of the world's young people in the labor force are either working poor or unemployed. The global youth unemployment situation is intolerable, particularly for young women. "In countries rich and poor, unemployment rates for young people are many times those of adults – and, of course, joblessness is the tip of the iceberg. Many are stuck in low-wage work with no protection in the informal economy. Many others find that their schooling has not equipped them with the right tools for today's job market," the U.N. chief said. Half the world, Ban said, is under 25 years of age – nearly 90 percent of them in developing countries. "These young people represent an enormous resource for innovation and development. I have seen it again and again in my travels around the world – from social entrepreneurs developing smart, new business models ... to young people creating green jobs and more sustainable economies ... to youth leaders speaking out, and tweeting out, for change," Ban said. The secretary-general urged trade unions, employers' organizations, and the private sector at large to empower more youth in their own structures and engage with youth-led organizations, noting that the private sector is key to job creation and that trade unions have a fundamental role in promoting and protecting young workers' rights.
