Delegate: Mr. Rey
84. Mr. Rey(Switzerland) said that, in the current context of globalization, the employment and education of young people had a crucial part to play in ensuring the stability of society. Since, for some years, there had been no significant drop in youth unemployment worldwide, it was a matter of urgency to take steps to address that scourge, which cost young people, their parents and their country dearly. Moreover, young people without work were easy prey for all kinds of extremism; they could thereby be led to disrupt social peace, which was the key to prosperity. [*13*] All Member States should take the measures set out in the World Programme of Action. While there was low unemployment in Switzerland, efforts still needed to be made in that connection, in particular to reduce the number of unemployed in the immigrant population.
85. One of the solutions to unemployment hinged on education, which had to be made accessible to everyone and not just to a happy few, as was the case in some countries. Providing education for the future generation was a means of ensuring a country’s prosperity, the security of the older generation and a better life for everyone. All young people should therefore benefit from it, without discrimination, as was required by an egalitarian, free and democratic society. Swiss youth, like young people the world over, fervently wished to be part of the solution and not part of the problem, and Switzerland had put measures in place to encourage them to embark on professional life, for example through internships, and had introduced a scholarship scheme and language courses for immigrant children.
86. Intergenerational dialogue was essential for constructive, egalitarian decision-making and for determining the needs of young people and of society. It was regrettable that there were so few youth representatives at the current session, as compared with 2005. Fresh efforts must be made, by young people and Member States alike; his delegation encouraged them to give the best of themselves, for the sake of today’s generation and that of tomorrow.
UN Doc.: A/C.3/63/SR.2
Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/63/SR.2, 31 December 2008, p. 12-13, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/switzerland-2008/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-194401-0.