Delegates: Mr. Solcan, Mrs. Sârbu
21. Mr. Solcan (Romania), representing Romanian youth, invited all Governments to follow the example of his country, which for four years now had been including youth representatives in its national delegation to the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and its technical commissions, whenever youth questions were being addressed. It was essential for young people to participate in the decision-making process so that they could become full members of world society.
22. Recalling that education made it possible to reduce poverty, gender inequality, health problems and unemployment, he said the international community had made encouraging progress towards basic education for all, and that the launch of the “Education for All: Class of 2015” initiative in 2008 was an important milestone in the campaign against illiteracy. Yet because of the economic crisis, more and more young people were being denied an elementary education, and efforts to secure access to basic education at an affordable cost must be redoubled. Non-formal education should also be further explored as a useful approach.
23. Mrs. Sârbu (Romania), also speaking on behalf of Romanian youth, said that young people were among the groups most severely affected by the grave financial and economic crisis currently gripping the world. In fact, young people accounted for 40 per cent of the 59 million newly unemployed counted by ILO [*6*] since 2007, and around 45 per cent of people who had fallen into poverty. While the trend was less alarming in Romania, the authorities were committed to several legislative bills to give young people real opportunities to find a decent and productive job and thereby to break the vicious circle of unemployment, poverty, and limited access to education and medical care.
24. Inspired by the ILO Decent Work Programme and its Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization, the Global Jobs Pact demonstrated the determination of ILO and its members to come to grips with the crisis. Yet words had to be translated into actions. First, school programmes must be revised and broadened around the world. International standards should be set, wherever possible, so that young people could take advantage of job opportunities at home and abroad. Second, young people must be able to contribute to the drafting of labour legislation, using for example information and communication technologies, so that their interests would be given the same consideration as those of employers. Third, young entrepreneurs should receive basic financial support, so that society as a whole could reap the benefits of their creativity and their capacities for innovation.
UN Doc.: A/C.3/64/SR.3
Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/64/SR.3, 17 November 2009, p. 5-6, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/romania-2009/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-194234-0.