Delegate: Ms. El-Batnigi
67. Ms. El-Batnigi (Austria), speaking as a youth delegate, said that the economic crisis had affected youth at an individual level, owing to rising levels of unemployment and competition in the labour market, and also at an institutional level because, in many countries, budget cuts had affected investment in young people. When States were confronted with enormous pressure on public spending, dialogue and accountability towards all groups was of utmost importance.
68. In that complex environment, special attention must be paid to the needs of vulnerable groups, such as girls and young women and young people with disabilities, to increase their opportunities for education and provide them with equal access to full [*10*] employment. However, tools were required to monitor such efforts at all levels, in order to identify sustainable solutions.
69. Over the past year, young Europeans had been trying to obtain increased recognition for their voluntary activities as an important contribution to non-formal education. At the policy level, they were urging the promotion of citizenship education, opportunities for young people to participate in relevant decision-making processes, increased efforts to mainstream youth issues into other policy areas, and clear coordination of cross-sectoral efforts.
UN Doc.: A/C.3/66/SR.3
Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/66/SR.3, 3 October 2011, p. 9, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/austria-2011/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-193941-0.