On International Youth Day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the formation of an Advisory Group of Experts for the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security, and appointed Werner Faymann, Austria, as his Special Envoy on Youth Employment.
“These steps may seem small and largely symbolic,” Ban reflected in an opinion piece, but stressed “incremental progress adds up.”
12 August 2016: On International Youth Day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the formation of an Advisory Group of Experts for the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security, and appointed Werner Faymann, Austria, as his Special Envoy on Youth Employment. “These steps may seem small and largely symbolic,” Ban reflected in an opinion piece, but he stressed that “incremental progress adds up.”
In Resolution 2250 (2015), the UN Security Council (UNSC) recognized the important and positive role played by youth in maintaining and promoting international peace and security. The text requested the UN Secretary-General to conduct “a progress study on youth’s positive contribution to peace processes and conflict resolution” with the aim of recommending responses at the international, regional, national and local levels. Ban formed the Advisory Group of Experts to carry out this mandate. Nearly half of the Advisory Group’s 17 members are youth, some of whom have survived conflict or have been refugees. Graeme Simpson of South Africa, Director of Interpeace USA, will lead the Advisory Group. The Group is expected to present its findings and recommendations to the UNSC in December 2017.
The Special Envoy on Youth Employment will work to achieve youth employment targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 to “promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.” Faymann also will work to help realize employment-related goals under the UN System-wide Action Plan on Youth and the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, which brings together UN entities, governments, the private sector, academia and others to scale up youth employment interventions in the global economy. As part of his efforts, Faymann will collaborate with the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), as well as Ban’s Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi.
“It is vital that we bolster our efforts in enhancing opportunities for decent work for youth across the board,” Ban said when announcing the appointment, and said the success of the sustainable development agenda depends on it. Ban said the Special Envoy on Youth Employment “will be a strong advocate in tackling key youth employment challenges, raising the profile of such challenges and calling for action at all levels.” [UN Press Release] [UN Press Release on Advisory Group] [UNRIC Press Release] [UN Secretary-General Statement on Special Envoy on Youth Employment] [UN System Wide Action Plan on Youth] [IISD RS Story on International Youth Day]