Delegate: Mr. Qasimli
59. Mr. Qasimli (Azerbaijan), speaking as a youth delegate from his country, said that, for many young people, globalization had become synonymous with insecurity and heightened inequality instead of greater economic and social development. When the labour market was no longer accessible for them, they were often faced with poverty and exclusion.
60. If the goal of sustainable development was to be achieved, priority must be given to developing poverty eradication strategies. In order to enable young people to find their place in society, existing policies, partnerships and programmes should also be adapted by focusing on employment, health, gender equality and education, bearing in mind the constantly evolving markets. The international community must move beyond generalities to find solutions to immediate problems while maintaining a long-term perspective.
61. The main objective was to help young people move from dependency to self-reliance, for example, by encouraging those who wanted to set up their own business, offering them advice and providing them with start-up capital, including through microcredit programmes. Training and continuing education programmes should also be set up. Such activities would facilitate collaboration between Governments and civil society.
62. Young people should also be protected from influences that could interfere with their transition to healthy adulthood. The world had never been so rich, and yet more than 1 billion people were living in extreme poverty. The figures provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on education, nutrition and child health were shocking and showed that action must be taken.
63. Azerbaijan had taken measures to address the situation of young people who had been affected by the conflict with Armenia. Legislation on youth had been amended, a new State programme on education abroad had been set up to enable 5,000 students to participate, and new schools had been built in mountainous regions of the country. A youth employment summit had also been held from 24 to 27 September 2008.
UN Doc.: A/C.3/63/SR.4
Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/63/SR.4, 7 October 2008, p. 7, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/azerbaijan-2008/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-194500-0.