Thematic Areas

Rural Youth Employment

Rural youth need more and better jobs in sustainable agrifood systems and green economies. Creating decent employment and income opportunities is essential to reduce poverty, improve food security and provide a future for young people in rural areas.

Building on previous work and initiatives, the G20 Summit in 2017 saw the launch of the Rural Youth Employment initiative, after a historic vote by governments and heads of states signaled a clear political commitment of the international community to support empowerment of youth in rural areas.

The Global Donor Platform responded to this call for action by establishing the Thematic Working Group on Rural Youth Employment in 2018 and is actively engaging with its members in current policy processes like the UN Food Systems Summit which highlighted the crucial role of youth in shaping sustainable food systems of the future.

Thematic Areas

Rural Youth Employment

Rural youth need more and better jobs in sustainable agri-food systems and green economies. Creating decent employment and income opportunities is essential to reduce poverty, improve food security and provide a future for young people in rural areas.

Building on previous work and initiatives, the G20 Summit in 2017 saw the launch of the Rural Youth Employment initiative, after a historic vote by governments and heads of states signaled a clear political commitment of the international community to support empowerment of youth in rural areas.

The Global Donor Platform responded to this call for action by establishing the Thematic Working Group on Rural Youth Employment in 2018 and is actively engaging with its members in current policy processes like the UN Food Systems Summit which highlighted the crucial role of youth in shaping sustainable food systems of the future.

Quotes

Latest News and Events

Organizational Structure

Members

Three reasons why we engage

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Youth accounts for one out of every six people worldwide.

Globally, millions of young people are bound to engage in agriculture. Youth should be more than a topic in the development world. This young generation will shape the future of agricultural and rural development.

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Active and involved youth creates new employment opportunities.

Donors and development practitioners can join forces for advancing policies and programmes for creating more and better jobs for young people in agri-food systems with a view to revitalize rural areas.

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The voices of youth can help shape policies and decisions for the future.

Enhance their role in policy processes by including their ideas and experiences, Young women and men are a major driving force for shaping a better future of work in rural areas. By listening to and actively engaging them, youth can be powerful agents to shift agri-food systems towards more sustainable patterns,

Talking about Youth Employment

Talking about Youth Employment

When we look at the news, the world can seem overwhelming but my optimism is sustained by the youth themselves. I am reassured having met champions within governments and civil society organizations who are dedicated to the cause of youth well-being.

When we look at the news, the world can seem overwhelming but my optimism is sustained by the youth themselves. I am reassured having met champions within governments and civil society organizations who are dedicated to the cause of youth well-being.

It is essential to engage youth as we discuss efforts around greening economies and food systems. Failing to do so could be a source of intergenerational inequalities and fuel growing discontent or a sense of injustice.

It is essential to engage youth as we discuss efforts around greening economies and food systems. Failing to do so could be a source of intergenerational inequalities and fuel growing discontent or a sense of injustice.

Africa’s demographic dividend has tremendous potential to transform the supply and demand of future goods and services, including in the agriculture and food industry.

Africa’s demographic dividend has tremendous potential to transform the supply and demand of future goods and services, including in the agriculture and food industry.

Frank Bertelmann

Youth are the main actors in shaping a sustainable food system transformation and rural youth employment has direct links to a broad spectrum of thematic areas in development cooperation.

Youth are the main actors in shaping a sustainable food system transformation and rural youth employment has direct links to a broad spectrum of thematic areas in development cooperation.

We need to do our best to understand youth and include them in all their diversity.

We need to do our best to understand youth and include them in all their diversity.

It is important to hear the voices of the youth themselves, in terms of what they want to happen if they are to be involved in the agricultural sector.

It is important to hear the voices of the youth themselves, in terms of what they want to happen if they are to be involved in the agricultural sector.

The agricultural sector must be transformed by ensuring that we develop value chains that create jobs in the agricultural system and by encouraging and supporting the continental programs for agriculture, such as CAADP, to ensure and enhance youth employment.

The agricultural sector must be transformed by ensuring that we develop value chains that create jobs in the agricultural system and by encouraging and supporting the continental programs for agriculture, such as CAADP, to ensure and enhance youth employment.

The Thematic Working Group Organizational Structure

The Global Donor Platform’s Thematic Working Group (TWG) on Rural Youth is a donor-catalysed working group with significant youth participation. Its role is to advise donors, governments and civil society organizations on the most effective ways to support and empower youth, enabling them to contribute to and benefit from sustainable rural livelihoods and food value chain systems.

The TWG holds regular conference calls, organizes webinars as well as physical meetings and side events. It also reviews technical formats to engage more effectively with youth in open discussions.

Our priority areas

  • Exchange evidence-based approaches and promote learning and collaboration
  • Promote multi-stakeholder partnerships with different partners
  • Support resource mobilization
  • Create effective and innovative communication tools and channels for knowledge sharing and share information on opportunities for rural youth

Highlights

  • Organized an ‘Independent Dialogue’ leading up to the Food Systems Summit
  • Jointly organized webinars on current issues and major trends
  • Coordinate members activities, identify cooperation potential and synergies, and develop concepts and ideas for joint programming and offers
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Latest in Rural Youth Employment

Rural Youth Employment Events

Search through our rich knowledge base from the group’s members, partners and the Platform secretariat.

Access the meeting minutes, work plans and terms of references of the Thematic Working Group on Rural Youth Employment.

Group Members

Group Members

CONTACT | CO-CHAIR

Elisenda Estruch Puertas

International Labour Organization (ILO)

protected email

CONTACT | CO-CHAIR

Ji-Yeun Rim

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

protected email