ILO: Innovative Solutions for Rural Youth Employment: Policy and Practice

Globally, young people in rural areas face persistent challenges in accessing decent work opportunities. Structural barriers such as informality, limited access to resources, lack of skills, and weak integration into value chains continue to limit their potential. At the same time, agrifood systems offer untapped opportunities for youth employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation, especially in the context of a just rural transition.

To inform policy and practice, the ILO, EU, IFAD, and WFF are joining forces to convene a webinar on rural youth employment. Hosted on the YouthForesight platform, the session will bring together stakeholders from international organizations, youth-led organizations, members of the Global Network of Youth Employment, and development partners to explore evidence, policy options, and promising models to support decent work for rural youth.

OBJECTIVES

The webinar aims to:

• Present ILO’s policy guidance and programmatic work on promoting decent rural youth employment.
• Showcase successful models such as the Integrated Agribusiness Hubs programme implemented by IFAD and ILO (with specific examples from Malawi and Rwanda) and best practices from the EC.
• Foster knowledge exchange on innovative approaches, partnerships, and policies for youth-inclusive rural development.
• Explore collaboration opportunities through the ILO-EC Network of Youth Employment Expert.