Not just sitting at the table, but participating in decisions: Y20 conducts Social Dialogues

Sustainable development, youth employability, and reform of the global governance guided the second day of the Youth 20 Summit at Ação da Cidadania, Rio de Janeiro. The topics were discussed in the Social Dialogues, which continue this Wednesday (14).

Where do the youth fit in international affairs? The delegates of the Youth 20 engagement group are convinced that mentioning the youth in thematic documents or inviting them to take part in events is not enough. The demand is not merely to be heard, it goes further: to be considered in the processes of construction and decisions regarding the agendas of their countries and the world, such as sustainable development, labor market, and reform of the global governance. These themes were the main topics in the Social Dialogues on the second day (13) of the G20 Youth Summit.

With the Ação da Cidadania in Rio de Janeiro as the venue for the panels, representatives of Brazil, the other G20 countries and invited international organizations were able to advance on issues that will compose the group's official statement, which will be concluded at the end of the proceedings on Friday (16). When discussing the labor market, attention was given to the “nem-nem” (NEET) youth. In a report released last year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) revealed a high percentage of young people who are not in the labor market or in education and training programs. The research indicated that one in five young people in the world, 20.4% precisely, neither studied nor worked, a situation that originated the expression “nem-nem”. 

In this context, the panelists discussed the impact of information technologies on the labor market and the advancement towards green jobs. It was argued that young people are digital natives and that employers are not taking advantage of the youth skills. The role of education provided by schools and universities in offering training related to the skills required was also discussed.

Regarding the reform of the global governance, one of priorities in G20 Brazil, also covered in the discussions of other groups, the speakers agreed about the lack of alignment of the current guidelines with the current world situation, marked by a multilateralism crisis. It was noted that the current governance does not meet the practical and social needs of the youth, which must be incorporated into the resolution processes.

'Not just sitting at the table, the youth need to lead. Who has a better knowledge of artificial intelligence than young people, for example?! Or are we going to leave it to those who have failed to regulate telecommunications and Internet? We must appropriate this debate, otherwise the owners of these technologies will drive the processes. Mental health is the epidemic of our generation, and we must take the lead in ensuring the right of young people to adequate mental health. Furthermore, the sustainable development is an urgent agenda given the incapacity of current global governance. Our generation has the mission, in the face of the catastrophic scenario handed to us, to indicate that there is a possible and more dignified future’, said Alexandre Pupo from the Special Advisory to the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil.

The Social Dialogues continue today (14) with panels on Diversity and Inclusion and on Fighting Hunger and Poverty, coordinated by delegates Philippe da Silva and Daniela Costa. Both were chosen through a public selection process, receiving hundreds of applications from young people all over the country.

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