THE International Labour Organisation (ILO) at an International Forum on “Employment, Youth and Democratic Governance” called for increased efforts to improve the employment situation of young people in Latin America and the Caribbean, where high unemployment and informality lead to frustration and discouragement, raising challenges for governance.At 14.4 per cent, the youth unemployment rate is double the general rate, and 60 per cent of young workers are in informal jobs.

José Miguel Insulza, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), and Rafael Roncagliolo, Minister of Foreign Relations of Peru, participated in the opening ceremony of the two-day Forum, together with Elizabeth Tinoco, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Forum was also attended by Dagoberto Lima Godoy, representing the Employers, and Amanda Villatoro, representing the Workers.

“Urban unemployment in Latin America and the Caribbean decreased to 7 per cent in 2011 – a level that has not been seen since the mid-1990s,” said Tinoco in her opening address, referring to the region’s successful recovery from the 2008-09 crisis.

However, she stressed that the purpose of the Forum was “to reflect on what can be done in the region to address the potential impact of another crisis, how it would affect employment, and especially youth employment, social programmes and investment flows, and how States should respond in order to maintain governance and protect citizens.”

She highlighted the importance of public policies to address those challenges, saying that the ILO, in consultation with the policy stakeholders in the region, would participate in developing a youth employment platform enabling a systematic approach to the promotion of those strategies.