Delegate: Mr. Dacri
64. Mr. Dacri (Italy), speaking as the youth representative of Italy, said that, because of competition and rapidly changing economic structures, there was a need for continuous innovations, not only in the economic sphere but also at the social and cultural level. Young people had an active part to play in both the national and international arenas and required high-level training to that end. International organizations set an example in that respect, as evidenced by the many United Nations system training centres operating in the city of Turin and the European Union’s Erasmus programme.
65. In education as in other sectors, institutional cooperation was essential in order to implement the [*10*] recommendations contained in the Secretary-General’s report on the follow-up to the implementation of the World Summit for Social Development (A/62/122). Indeed, the Italian Government had recently recognized the importance of coherent youth policies and had set up a ministry with special responsibility in that area. The ministry had a coordinating role and acted within the framework of the National Youth Plan, which addressed the cultural, social and economic aspects of youth policies.
66. Economic policies must be specially geared to young people, with private sector support, in order to facilitate their access to employment, while education and training must take into account the needs of the labour market. The National Youth Plan accordingly sought to help young people to participate in the information society by narrowing the digital divide and to develop connectivity and Internet access, in particular through soft loans. In the same spirit of supporting the innovative potential of the young, the United Nations might wish to recommend the establishment of dedicated funds to develop their design skills and creative flair. He concluded by saying that the participation of youth representatives in the General Assembly’s discussions should encourage Member States to support national youth councils and forums and involve them in decision-making on youth issues.
UN Doc.: A/C.3/62/SR.3
Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/62/SR.3, 9 October 2007, p. 9-10, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/italy-2007/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-194551-0.