Blog by: Sunge Makawa, Assistant Programmes Officer Social Policy Development – Youth and Gayathri Ajayakumar, Data Science Intern ICT Data and Analytics
As we celebrate World Youth Skills Day on the 15th of July, the theme for 2023 resonates powerfully: "Skilling teachers, trainers, and youth for a transformative future". In 2014, United Nations declared this day to increase awareness about the critical importance of helping young people access the skills essential for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship.
The Commonwealth Secretariat could not be more supportive of World Youth Skills Day and it aligns well with the agenda of the Commonwealth Year of Youth, being celebrated in 2023. The empowerment of youth development stakeholders is a priority of the Year.
Celebrating 50 years of empowering youth
The Commonwealth Secretariat is also celebrating 50 years of the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), which represents its commitment to the youth empowerment. One of the aims of the CYP is to create opportunities for young people to directly influence policy and practice by working collaboratively with other leaders to create solutions for a sustainable future.
Among the initiatives being implemented during the Year of Youth are projects to strengthen the capabilities of youth in various areas, including leadership, advocacy, entrepreneurship, community engagement, and sustainable development. There is also an appreciation that underscoring all of this, is a need for strong digital skills to empower youth and prepare them to thrive and respond to the demands of a rapidly changing world.
Since 1973, Secretariat has supported our member states in the formulation of social policies and mechanisms which create an enabling environment for:
- a quality and inclusive education;
- increased employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young men and women; and
- the professionalisation of youth work including upskilling of youth workers and allied professionals who facilitate the successful transition of young people from school to employment.
World Youth Skills Day encourages us all to reflect on whether our efforts are having an impact on overall youth empowerment and development. To ensure that progress is being monitored, the Commonwealth Secretariat introduced the Youth Development Index (YDI) as a resource for researchers, policymakers and civil society, including young people. The index measures progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) associated with youth development and identifies gaps which must be filled.
The YDI has 6 domains and 27 indicators that measure progress in youth development in the areas of education, health, employment and opportunity, peace and security, equality and inclusion, and political and civic participation. It covers 181 countries, including 48 of the 56 Commonwealth countries.
The YDI indicates progress has slowed
In the decade up to 2020, the global average youth development score improved by 3.1 per cent. However, initial analysis of more recent data indicates that the rate of change has been minimal since 2020, suggesting that the full impact of the pandemic is yet to be fully revealed.
Despite ongoing policy and programmatic investments, the average rate of change in the YDI for Commonwealth countries between 2020 and 2023 is estimated to be 0.1%. Similarly, the indicators directly associated with skills development and economic opportunities have shown a comparable upward trend of approximately 0.1% over the past three years.
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Preparing young people for the future
As we look towards the 10th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting (CYMM) in September, the results from the YDI provide evidence for an urgent call to action by policymakers and other stakeholders to scale up youth work and education initiatives to transform skills development and create an environment conducive to the development and advancement of young people.
New opportunities to continue this work have arisen through the formation, of the Commonwealth Alliance for Quality Youth Leadership. In 2022, the Secretariat joined forces with globally recognised youth organisations to promote and expand non-formal education as a means to improve youth skills and competencies.
The time for action is now
Let’s use the energy, vision and expertise of our young people to open fresh opportunities for social, economic, and political development. To do so, we need to ensure the gains made pre-pandemic are not lost but are restored and developed further. Together, we can ensure our youth are not left behind. Instead, we imagine a world where they are at the forefront, building a brighter, more prosperous, and sustainable world.
Media contact
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Charmaine Wright Head of Media Relations, Communications Division, Commonwealth Secretariat
- +44 20 7747 6242 | E-mail
