Main themes discussed during the event

The 12 August event will shed light on a number of themes that are key to addressing youth migration issues. These themes include:

- Understanding youth migration – opportunities and risks. There is a general lack of awareness on the working and living conditions of young migrants. While migration of young people can open up valuable opportunities, it can also pose risks or leads to unacceptable situations, including exploitation and discrimination. To protect young migrants and ensure that migration leads to their human development as well as contributing to the development of both their home and host countries, the key questions that will be address revolve around the motivation for young to migrate, the key issues and challenges facing young migrants and the contribution that youth migration can make to economic and social development of both sending and hosting countries.

- Good practices, policies and programmes on youth employment and migration. National policies and programmes can play an important role to reap the benefits and minimize the risks relating to youth migration. A series of good practices resulting from joint action by the United Nations will be presented and discussed during the event organized by the UN Secretariat and the ILO., The discussion will aim to identify the factors that contributed to develop the good practices, lessons learned and replicability of the same practices.

- Youth perspectives – sharing experience on migration. To better understand the migration experiences of young people, the event will organize a panel composed by people who are engaged in the implementation of programmes and other initiatives to promote safe migration and decent work for young migrant people.

Programme

10:00 Opening

• Jean-Pierre Gonnot, Chief, Social Integration Branch, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• Mr. Charles Dan, Special Adviser on Youth and Social Inclusion of the International Labour Organization
• Message from the United Nations Secretary-General
• Video: This is my story: dreams and sacrifices of a young migrant worker

10:30 Youth Migration and Development: sharing knowledge and information from recent research and analysis

• Moderator: HE Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations
• Presentations: Ms Sabine Henning, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• Mr. Christian Salazar, United Nations Children’s Fund
• Mr Gianni Rosas, International Labour Organization
• Questions and answers

11:15 Youth perspectives: sharing views and experience on migration

• Moderator: Mr. Chris Richer, International Organization for Migration
• Participants: Young leaders from different regions of the world:
• Ms Grace Akallo
• Ms Pawser Soe
• Ms Melissa García
• Ms. Rajin Alqallih
• Questions and answers

12:15 Screening of videos from PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival, an initiative of UNAOC
and IOM, and from UN-DPI on youth and migration

12:30 Addressing youth migration through UN joint programming: Lessons from the implementation of policies and programmes

• Bruno Moro, Secretariat of the Spain’s Achievement Fund for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG-F)
• Mr. Gianni Rosas, Coordinator of the Youth Employment Programme of the ILO
• Announcement of the winner of the ILO/MDG-F video-contest “Youth labour migration: reaping the benefits, minimizing the risks”: Ms. Laura Garciandia, video contest winner
• Ms Myrna Orozco, Board President for the Immigrant Justice Advocacy Movement

Organizers

UN Secretariat (UNDESA) - Focal Point on Youth International Labour Office - Youth Employment Programme

Partners

Secretariat of the Spain’s Achievement Fund of the Millennium Development Goals

Contact

UNDESA- Focal Point on Youth United Nations
Email: youth@un.org
Website: http://social.un.org/index/Youth.aspx


Youth Employment Programme
International Labour Office
Email: youth@ilo.org
Website: /yep

Background

The International Youth Day (IYD), celebrated on 12 August each year, was established by the United Nations in 2000 as a means of raising awareness of issues affecting young people around the world. Each year the Secretary-General of the United Nations decides upon a theme for the Day on the basis of issues of concern to young people.

The theme for 2013 is ‘Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward’. For this year’s International Youth Day 2013, the United Nations Secretariat (DESA) and the International Labour Office (ILO), with the support of the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund Secretariat (MDG-F), are co-organizing an event to celebrate the Day. The event will bring together young people, civil society organizations and UN and other experts to discuss issues relating to youth migration.

Why youth migration?

Young people make up a significant share of the global number of international migrants. In 2010, there was an estimated number of 27 million international young migrants. While migration can often offer valuable opportunities and contribute to the development of communities and society at large, it can also pose risks and lead to unacceptable situations, including discrimination and exploitation.

For young people, the decision to migrate is often related to their transition to adulthood. Internal or international migration can open up avenues of opportunity, including access to decent jobs. However, for some young people migration can expose them to several risks, including lack of access to basic rights, exploitation, unprotected jobs. This can also be due to limited access of young people to information on rights and entitlements of migrant workers.

Very little is known about the livelihood opportunities and the risks associated to migration of young people, the policies and measures that help them reap the benefits and contribute to development of both countries of origin and of destination, and the mechanisms that exist for migrant workers to avoid falling into risky situations.

Objectives of International Youth Day Event

The objectives of the International Youth Day are to:

• Raise awareness of the opportunities and risks associated with youth migration;
• Share knowledge and information stemming from recent research and analysis on this topic;
• Review good practice on policies and programmes promoting employment and safe migration among young people.