United Nations Population Fund: The world’s 1.8 billion youth is a great possibility

MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
http://formin.finland.fi/english

Press release 255/2014
18 November 2014

United Nations Population Fund: The world’s 1.8 billion youth is a great possibility

The world has 1.8 billion young people, nine out of ten of them living in less developed countries. By investing in the education, health and rights of young people, developing countries have excellent possibilities for increasing economic growth and well-being, the new United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report states.

The UNFPA population report entitled The Power of 1.8 Billion – Adolescents, Youth and the Transformation of the Future was released in Finland on 18 November at Ressun lukio senior secondary school. Minister for International Development Sirpa Paatero stressed Finland’s possibility, for its part, to support the growth and development of young people both at home and in developing countries.

“Young people are a good example of the fact that each country has things to do from its own starting points – also here in Finland and in Europe. The current economic situation and unemployment threaten to leave an entire generation outside the scope of many opportunities. This is very much a question of sustainable development, which should be taken into account in the preparation of international development goals for the period 2015–2030,” Development Minister Paatero said.

A shift in the age structure is taking place in approximately 60 countries, resulting in a situation where there are more people of working age than children and elderly people. At the same time the report points out that up to 60 per cent of young people in developing countries are not in school or are without permanent employment. More than 500 million young people have to survive on less than two US dollars a day.

“These hundreds of millions of young people encounter social, economic and other obstacles to their well-being and to the realization of their full growth potential. The international community, Governments, communities and families all have a role to play in removing these obstacles. Young people are our future innovators, creators and leaders. But they can change the future only if they have skills, health, and alternatives in their lives. Only by investing in young people’s human capital can countries benefit from the growth possibilities offered by demographic change and can raise the millions of people out of poverty” said Regional Director Heimo Laakkonen of the UN Population Fund.

The report points out that in the 1950s and 1960s, many East Asian countries invested in young people and offered them family planning and contraception. This impacted on economic growth in many countries. If sub-Saharan African countries would make similar investments in young people, the region’s economy could grow by as much as 500 billion US dollars annually for 30 years.

Väestöliitto, the Family Federation of Finland, will publish a Finnish-language summary of the report, “1,8 miljardin voima – Nuoret ja tulevaisuuden muutos”,on its website, at www.vaestoliitto.fi/kansainvalisyys/materiaalit

Additional information: Regional Director Heimo Laakkonen (UNFPA), mobile tel. +90 212 705 3651, laakkonen@unfpa.org, Counsellor Johanna Karanko, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 712, johanna.karanko@formin.fi; Sonja Kekkonen, Special Adviser to the Minister for International Development, mobile tel. +358 50 311 1828, sonja.kekkonen @ formin.fi.