GDP % GDP % Youth Employment Project Call for Consultant Develop project proposal on Youth Employment in I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND In 1995, United Nations Member States adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth to the year 2000 and beyond (WPAY). The programme (henceforth referred to as WAYP) identified 15 priorities to address challenges faced by youth; amongst some of these priorities are employment and combating poverty which are relevant to many countries in the world. In May 2015, the President of the General Assembly convened a Special Session to commemorate the 20 th Anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth. In addition to marking the 20 th Anniversary of WPAY, this high level event also offered an opportunity to Member States and other stakeholders to assess progress made in the implementation of the programme, to identify gaps and challenges encountered and to find innovative ways of accelerating the full implementation of the programme. Significant progress has been made in developing policy and programmes. Several Member States reported the establishments of Ministries of Youth, while others highlighted the strengthening of youth commissions and agencies. Despite these efforts and progress made, Member States acknowledged that youth unemployment continues to remain troublingly high and have soared to 13% in 2015, up from 11.7% in 1995. A sample of middle income countries (both upper and middle income countries) was taken and their GDP growth was plotted against unemployment rate. Notwithstanding positive growth in many sampled African countries, many struggled to address youth unemployment the financial crisis. Countries like, Gabon, Libya, and had youth unemployment rates above 30 per cent as shown by figure 1 below. Figure 1: Relationship GDP growth and youth unemployment (17-24):2007 2 Figure 2: GDP growth and youth unemployment (17-24):2007 2 Angola 2 HL Angola HH 2 1 1 - Cuba India Chile Mexico Nigeria Argentina Brazil Turkey Spain Algeria Gabon Libya 2 3 4 5 Unemployment rate % Source: World Bank Indicators analyzed by UNDP South Africa Inclusive Growth Programme LL LH India Argentina Cuba Nigeria Gabon Libya Brazil Chile Turkey Mexico Spain Algeria 2 3 4 5 - Unemployment rate % 1
GDP % Figure 2 has been divided into four parts: Countries with High GDP growth and Low youth unemployment denoted by HL symbol in the top left corner of the graph; countries with both High GDP growth and High youth unemployment denoted by the symbol HH are in the top right corner; countries with Low growth rate and Low unemployment are denoted by the symbol LL in the bottom left corner and lastly countries with Low growth and High unemployment are denoted by the symbol LH in the bottom right corner. The results demonstrate that many sampled countries with high youth unemployment rate in Africa are endowed in mineral resources (,, Gabon, Algeria, and Libya). Only one African country falls into the category of HL which is Angola. The International Labour Organization (2003) estimated that about 73.4 million young people globally want to work and are actively looking for a job but cannot find one. About one out of every two young people (52.9 percent) is unemployed or a discouraged work-seeker, not enrolled at an educational institution. The ILO report states that the world is facing a worsening youth employment crisis, where young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. Figure 3: Relationship between GDP and Youth Unemployment in 2013 1 India Angola Nigeria Chile Turkey Gabon Cuba Brazil Algeria Argentina Mexico 2 3 4 5 6 Spain 7 - - -1 Libya Youth Unemployment rate % source: Statistics from World Bank analysed by UNDP Inclusive Growth Programme According to the WPAY, underemployment and unemployment among the youth has continued to be a problem everywhere in the world. The financial crisis which precipitated the global recession has negatively impacted developing countries growth prospects and heralded an era of anaemic growth. Compared to the pre-financial crisis situation, youth unemployment has worsened in the majority of the countries sampled, except in eight countries were youth employment growth was anaemic ranging from one per cent to two per cent. s youth unemployment situation has worsened since 2007 from 46.5% to 53.6% increasing by 7 percentage points. 2
Youth Unemployment Situation Unlike the United Nations, defines youth as those between the ages of 15-35. Youth unemployment rates remain persistently high in, and the social and economic costs of youth unemployment are high for both the individual and society. According to Statistics (2014), young people constitute 37 percent of the country s population. This could be a powerful resource for the country, provided the youth are supported and able to become economically active members of society. The National Development Plan noted that having a relatively young population is advantageous, provided the majority of working-age individuals are gainfully employed. Figure 4: Trends in the unemployment rate, 2008-2015: Source: Statistics As illustrated above, the unemployment rate among youth in is more than twice that of adults each year. Due to the global recession, the unemployment rate among youth rose from 32,1% in 2008 to 35,5% in 2015. According to the New Growth Path, the main challenges hampering young people from meaningfully participating in the mainstream economy are joblessness, poverty and inequality. If not addressed, the socio-economic effects of this situation will be dire, including increased crime, a poorly performing economy, extreme joblessness and poverty, and increased potential for political instability. UNDP s Efforts to tackle Youth Unemployment In 2013, the United Nations Development Programme in pioneered the establishment of a multi stakeholder forum on Youth Unemployment consisting of the Department of Labour, the National Youth Development Agency and the International Labour Organization. The working group commissioned two studies: (1) Profiling unemployed youth registered in the three large database with the hope that the analysis will assist other initiatives in providing improved service to the unemployed youth in ; (2) Assess the effectiveness of youth employment schemes and recommend the most effective ones for scale up. In responding to the challenges identified in the two studies and the persistence increasing unemployment among young people in South, UNDP together with National Youth Development Agency are designing a youth project that will focus on enhancing youths Information Communication 3
technology Skills, Digital skills and Youth Entrepreneurship skills to improve their employability. The project goal and its components have been broadly defined; and successful pilot projects with partners have provided a basis and rationale on the mentioned areas of focus. II. OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT 1. Objective To provide technical support to the Country Office in developing a project document on youth employment and mobilizing resources for the project following UNDP template on project development (attached) III. SCOPE OF WORK, DELIVERABLES, TIME FRAME, AND MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF THE EXPERT Scope of work and Expected Outputs The activities of the assignment: Finalize the draft youth employment developed by UNDP in conjunction with partners. Meet with key partners and critical stakeholders in youth development like National Youth Development Agency. Solicit inputs from partners and stakeholders in finalizing the project document Map organizations that provide funding to youth projects Meet potential donors and funders who may be interested in funding a UNDP initiative on youth unemployment Meet different private sector partners in the areas of ICT and Digital skills Expected Results and Outcomes Draft Project Document(template is attached as Annex A) Resource mobilsation matrix with contacts of focal points and stage of discussions Eligibility of Applicants Experts must fulfill the following selection criteria: Education: Business Development Degree with strong project proposal development skills Good command of English Excellent writing skills Experience: - At least 10 years of experience in the area of unemployment in. - Experience in writing project proposals to development partners. - Good knowledge of the legal framework around youth employment. - Experience of working with UN agencies and other development partners. - Experience working with private sector 4
IV. PROJECT MONITORING AND REPORTING Consultant to be supervised by the Programme Manager Inclusive Growth, work closely with the Programme Associate and also with the National Youth Development Agency in finalizing the project proposal. 5