RESEARCH REPORT UNECA ELIMINATING CONSTRAINTS ON EMPLOYMENT WITH REGARDS TO GENDER AND YOUTH IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

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1 RESEARCH REPORT UNECA ELIMINATING CONSTRAINTS ON EMPLOYMENT WITH REGARDS TO GENDER AND YOUTH IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA BORA BALÇAY Research Report

2 Basic Overview of the Issue The greatest engine for growth in any field, be it economic, social or cultural, is equality. This is because of the fact that equality enables people to achieve their full potential in life; when we are equal we are not judged by our race, gender, religion or other factors, we are judged purely by our merits and demerits. In an equal environment everyone has the necessary incentives to contribute to a society that upholds their rights. Thus, considering the previous statement, it is no surprise that the most equal societies are often the most economically developed ones as well; highly economically developed societies such as those of Europe and North America, also ensure high levels of equality through legal measures, affirming the equal and unalienable rights of their peoples. This trend, unfortunately, applies to the less economically developed countries as well. Countries in sub-saharan Africa that have suffered in terms of economic development also lack equality in terms of the legal system and also their social norms. Therefore, in order to achieve economic development or any other form of permanent progress the problem of equality in sub-saharan Africa must be addressed. 1

3 1 Explanation of Important Terms Economic Development Human development is the expansion of people s freedom to live long, healthy and creative lives; to advance other goals they have reason to value; and to engage actively in shaping development equitably and sustainably on a shared planet. People are both the beneficiaries and the drivers of human development, as individuals and in groups. Economic development has been an illusive term ever since the industrial revolution. This was around the time when we started to see economic growth not translate into an improvement in living standards. This, creates an interesting situation in which despite there is more wealth being produced, it is being concentrated into the hands of an extremely selective few. Economic Growth An increase in the amount of goods and services produced per head of the population over a period of time. Economic growth, since the beginning of human civilization has been a means for improving the quality of peoples lives. Despite this in the last century the economic growth trend has not translated into an improvement in peoples lives. Instead a new trend of wealth inequality has emerged where a minority of the population controls a majority of the wealth. Equality The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities. Equality is a term that has emerged as an outcome of the revolutionary movements during the 18 th century. Since it was adopted as a principle of government around the world it has resulted in a significant increase in economic development and growth. But, especially in the developing world societal and economic equality has not been achieved to a significant 1 All of the definitions used are taken from the Oxford Dictionary, 2

4 extent. Thus, if human development such as the trends in western world is to be achieved in the developing regions equality is a perquisite. Gender Equality The state in which access to rights or opportunities is unaffected by gender. Following the trend of equality discussed previously, gender equality also enables economic development, improving people s living standards. Gender equality stands out from other forms equality, however, in that it is universal. The problem of gender equality applies to almost all societies. Thus, in order to facilitate sustainable economic development both halves of the global population need to participate in the economy. Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a tool developed by the United Nations to measure and rank countries' levels of social and economic development. Four principal areas of examination are used to rank countries: mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, life expectancy at birth and gross national income per capita. The Human Development Index is an indicator used by the United Nations Development Program. This composite indicator that involves many factors enable us to measure the quality of life. Detailed Background of the Issue Equality: a relatively easy concept to understand; the state of being equal. Many have tried to impose this concept on their communities, countries, nations, etc., but this easy concept has been harder to implement in practice. In the western world Magna Carta has been the document establishing men as equals, in the eastern world the Quran preached equality among humans and the teaching of Karl Marx, which created communism, inspired equality at all fronts. Yet none of these ideologies have been completely successful in the creation of an equal society. Especially in sub-saharan Africa the efforts to create an equal 3

5 society has failed; this can be attributed to constraints on employment which restrict economic development and an increase in the quality of human living standards. Last Millenia in Africa For the purposes of this report, when the term Africa is mentioned, one needs to thinks sub-saharan Africa rather than Maghreb, or Northern Africa due to the distinct histories of these two regions. The history of Africa is an interesting one. Distinct from other regions of the other regions of the world peoples living in Africa have mostly lived in isolated tribes rather than interconnected civilizations. This meant that the peoples of Africa did not benefit from global trade routes and the different ideologies that they brought to different regions. For example, it can be seen that through their common trade routes, renaissance philosophers got to learn about the philosophy of Islam from the middle east and were able to incorporate aspects of it into their teachings. As this did not occur in Africa a largely hierarchical societal structure remained in place in most tribes and any kind of movement that could be considered revolutionary did not happen during this time. Thus for many hundreds of years peoples living in Africa did so in a manner that was isolated from the other regions of the world and in a strict regimen that did not consider them as individuals with rights, having not been affected by the equality movements around the world. The fate of Africa changed, however, when European explorers arrived on their shores in the Despite the fact that the colonizers were at a massive disadvantage in terms of their numbers, they were able to control the people living in the region through local proxies. They were able to this because the people lived in isolated groups and did not share a common national identity; rather, they focused on their tribal identities which meant that they had no ethical qualms about enslaving people of other tribes. This also meant that due to ethical differences the tribal peoples also could not coordinate in a cohesive manner to mount a rebellion. Therefore, by enlisting local help in an environment where the people couldn t rebel the Europeans managed to maintain control over the continent for centuries. 4

6 The Colonial Legacy Divide and Conquer, was the name of the strategy used by the Europeans. They made a deal with one of the local tribes, armed them, and put them in charge to enslave all the other tribes to control the people on their behalves. This strategy worked successfully for hundreds of years as the European powers made Africa into their raw material mine, as copper, gold, aluminum and other raw elements facilitated Europe s economic growth. Yet this economic growth did not translate into any kind of human development for the people of Africa as the continent was essentially turned into one giant factory with terrible living conditions. The most horrifying example of this is happened in the Belgian Congo. At the height of European colonialism in Africa the Berlin Conference took place where major European powers gathered around one table and divided Africa to their liking. As a result of this conference the tiny nation of Belgium got the entire country of Congo. The king of Belgium, Leopold II made the Congo his personal property. The Belgian colonial core gained notoriety for being particularly brutal. Ivory, gold, copper and rubber was mined out of Congo, with the tribesmen acting as slave labor for the Belgian colonialists. The people were worked to death in many cases and those who couldn t fulfill their production quotas had their hands cut off. It is estimated that as a result of the brutality of Belgians, 10 million Congolese died. Regardless to say this society was not an equal one. Independence After the second world war the United Nations was founded; and the UN did not want colonialism to continue. Thus, the European powers which reigned over Africa for centuries packed up and left. When the European powers left the continent, however, they gave governmental power to the minorities that they were working with. After hundreds of years of colonialism, the colonial governments were replaced by authoritarian minority governments. These authoritarian minority governments, were usually of a single tribe; they prioritized their tribesmen, giving them positions in the army and the government. Through favoritism they maintained control over their new nations and formed military dictatorships. These new 5

7 dictatorships essentially served as a continuation of the previous colonial regimes and continued the tradition of enslavement of the local people. As history shows forced labor is a terrible method of economic development. Enslaved people not only have no incentive to produce wealth, their living standards are usually pretty terrible. Therefore, even after colonial territories gained independence economic growth only benefited the elite few who were in charge. A lack of economic growth and development also meant that the employment opportunities were limited for the people of Africa, particularly the women and the youth. Due to the patriarchal social structure women have mostly been reduced caregivers, combined with the fact that Africa has a very high fertility rate. This meant that almost half of the population has stayed at home, not contributing to the economic process. Furthermore, the youth have had a particularly challenging time at finding employment as well. Due to lackluster a education system most African countries can t produce skilled workers, which creates a dilemma in which the youth are not skilled enough to be employed but they also cost to teach skills meaning that they get trapped in a cycle of unemployment. Major Parties Involved African Union The African Union is a crucial partner to every African country in that they have a unique partnership with all of the countries in Africa. The AU is the only organization with the diplomatic reach and potential to facilitate trade agreements that could facilitate equality As a perquisite of economic growth in the continent of Africa. South Africa South Africa is a financial powerhouse. It contains one of the most developed financial sectors in all of Africa and has a uniquely powerful place in the global markets. This enables the country to lend out loans to less economically developed countries in a manner that focuses on empowering the youth and women. 6

8 Nigeria Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, and it experiences a degree of stability as well in terms of its government being fairly democratic. Yet due to its massive population of almost 180 million people Nigeria struggles to implement reform that can enable its economic development. Thus, Nigeria will benefit significantly from the removal of employment constraints which will in turn empower the young and women to produce more in the way of economic output. Ethiopia Ethiopia has been an idol of economic success through Africa for some time. By utilizing the local strengths of their industry Ethiopia for a time became a wealthy nation by becoming a global exporter. Yet due to governmental constraints imposed by a corrupt regime in the recent years Ethiopia has faced some hardships. Despite this Ethiopia remains a strong element in achieving economic development throughout Africa. Democratic Republic of Congo The DRC is absolutely massive, the vast country contains great mines of natural resources; yet the country has consistently remained one of the poorest due to the wealth remaining in the hands of a wealthy few which collaborate with foreign countries to expatriate the wealth of the country. By establishing a new economic order that protects the rights of the citizens of the Congo can create employment for all of its people regardless of gender or age. Chronology of Important Events Date Description of Event 1884 The Berlin Conference 1945 The UN is founded 1960 The Nigeria gained its 7

9 independence 1960 The DRC gained its independence 2000 The Millennium Development Goals which advocated for equality were created 2015 The MDGs were continued by the Sustainable Development Goals Past Attempts to Resolve the Issue There have been some national initiatives to alleviate this problem mainly through microloans, which are small amounts of interest free loans, to women and jobs education programs for the youth; however, there are no UN affiliated solution attempts as of now. Solution Alternatives The most important aspect by far of solving this problem is to tackle societal stigma around gender. This can be done by education of the general public though international initiatives which can educate the traditional society about the role of people in the economy. Education is also important in terms of educating the youth about job skills. This would make them more employable by giving them skills that improve their efficiency and contribution to the economy. Another important aspect is to enable economic growth through pure increase in the gross domestic product. But this time in order to make sure that the wealth distribution is equal governmental reform is needed. An encouragement of transparent and democratic government is absolutely essential to ensure that the wealthy few don t commandeer their 8

10 countries again. Therefore, once economic growth is achieved through large loans and through reforms income equality is ensured, employment opportunities will arise. Lastly, cooperation is key. This cooperation has to be on a continental level as to make sure that an agreement can be reached on a large scale that can facilitate trade between countries in the sub-saharan Africa. Useful Links Delegates should check the UNDP SDGs and devise their policies accordingly; -equality.html d-inequalities.html Bibliography FocusEconomics. Economic Outlook Data, Statistics & Forecasts FocusEconomics. FocusEconomics Economic Forecasts from the World's Leading Economists, FocusEconomics, Global Economic Prospects:. World Bank, Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities. UNDP, alities.html. Goal 5: Gender Equality. UNDP in Turkey, lity.html. IMF: Nigeria, South Africa Set to Boost 's Economy. Fin24, 16 July 2018, 9

11 Kenton, Will. Human Development Index - HDI. Investopedia, Investopedia, 13 Dec. 2018, Reduce Inequality within and among Countries - United Nations Sustainable Development. United Nations, United Nations, Sub Saharan Africa - Economic Growth and Development tutor2u Economics. tutor2u, t.. Literacy Rate, Adult Female (% of Females Ages 15 and above) Data, data.worldbank.org/region/sub-saharan-africa. Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP, The Free State of the Congo, a Hidden History of Genocide. The "Barcelona Noise and Health" Work Group Tackles the Problem of Noise Pollution Ecology, Urban Planning and Mobility, 22 Jan. 2016, ajuntament.barcelona.cat/gabinetpostal/lestat-lliure-del-congo-un-genocidi-a-lombra/?lang=e n. 10