Education Cannot Wait Executive Director Yasmine Sherif
Statement for World Youth Skills Day
NEW
YORK, July 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's
youth live in a world mired by violence, political discord,
economic instability, forced displacement and a climate crisis that
threatens the very future of the human race. Without access to
education and skills training, they are faced with limited
opportunities, limited empowerment and limited hope for a better
future.
Therefore, as we mark World Youth Skills Day, we must continue
to work together to build the youth skills necessary to foster
peace and development worldwide, and education is the key.
Today's youth are powerful agents of change. One day, they will
lead us to a better world. One day, they will put an end to hatred,
oppression and inequality. One day they will be the teachers,
engineers, doctors and lawyers that build a great society based on
human rights and human equality.
The only way we will get there – and deliver on the goals
outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – is by
creating a global moonshot to truly ensure education for all.
It will take a global moonshot effort: today, without additional
measures, 300 million students will lack basic literacy and math
skills by 2030, and only 1 in 6 countries will achieve the goal for
universal secondary education, according to the United Nations.
Even more concerning, 1 in 4 young people are either out
of school, out of a job, or out of a training programme to join the
work force. Girls are twice as likely as boys to be impacted by
this critical situation.
This is a pressing global challenge. By 2030, the youth
population will grow by more than 78 million. Much of this will
happen in low-income countries. According to the United Nations, we
will need to create 600 million jobs over the next 15 years to meet
youth employment needs.
The key will be focusing on skills training fit for the
21st century. But it must start from early childhood
education and continue all the way to secondary school and
university. And it must include holistic supports such as school
feeding, vocational training, catch-up classes and mental health
and psychosocial support. These are essential in equipping today's
youth with the skills they need to thrive in this changing economy.
Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in
emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations, is one
of the world's few multilateral funds to include youth
representation in our governance structure. These young leaders
were the catalysts behind our new #Youth4ECW campaign, which
is activating youth networks worldwide to call for increased
opportunities for today's young people.
Together with our partners, we are having a real impact on the
ground. In South Sudan, Living
Sunday is a 22-year-old mother. When she first became
pregnant, she thought her education was over. With an innovative
education programme that supports young mothers like her, delivered
by AVSI with funding from ECW, Living Sunday is now about to
graduate from high school and dreams of continuing on to
university. As she so eloquently put it: "I've now got the
opportunity to change my life."
"Globally, there is a 9% increase in hourly earnings for every
extra year of schooling," according to the World Bank. "For
societies, it drives long-term economic growth, spurs innovation,
strengthens institutions and fosters social cohesion. Education is
further a powerful catalyst to climate action through widespread
behavior change and skilling for green transitions."
Our investment in today's youth is our investment in peace and
sustainable development. It's our investment in human rights and
human dignity. It's our investment towards an end to chaos,
conflict and crisis.
It is nothing less than the rise of a new world order built on
the solid foundation of quality education, the skills and power of
our youth, and the human spirit.
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SOURCE Education Cannot Wait