Education Cannot Wait Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Statement for World Youth Skills Day

NEW YORK, July 15, 2024 -- 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 21^st 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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