Rural Youth Aged 15 17

This document features the results of the Expert Meeting on Addressing the Challenges Faced by Rural Youth Aged 15-17 in Preparing for and Accessing Decent Work. The expert meeting took place from 25 to 28 October, 2016. It contributed to the identification of feasible and effective policies and actions to enable rural youth aged 15-17 to prepare for and access decent work. The agenda was organized around three main phases to reach three overarching objectives: (1) preparation for decent employment through education, skills development and life skills; (2) assessment of decent work opportunities in the rural economy, in particular related to agriculture; and (3) factors that enable youth to access decent work in agriculture and rural areas.

This document features all problem statements and recommendations emerged during the Expert Meeting "Addressing the challenges faced by rural youth aged 15 to 17 in preparing for and accessing decent work", which took place in October 2016, in FAO HQs. The aim of the document is to help FAO and other stakeholders design interventions to facilitate skills development and generation of decent rural employment opportunities for youth aged 15-17, in the context of sustainable rural transformations.

The case study explores which skills and training opportunities young people need in order to gain access to decent employment in rural areas. The research was undertaken in order to develop recommendations to support the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and FAO Cambodia in developing appropriate recommendations to support rural young people, especially those of the 15 to 17 age cohort. The study highlights the limited decent employment opportunities that currently exist along various agricultural value chains in rural Cambodia. Poverty and the structural problems of the agricultural sector are the main barriers for youth in accessing decent rural employment. A substantial enhancement of the education system, as well as the provision of appropriate training services to ensure successful schoolto-work transition is seen as necessary to tackle these challenges. A well-balanced policy mix reflecting national and local circumstances can encourage employment opportunities and create an environment that enables rural youth. Building on previous research on agriculture in Cambodia, agricultural transformation requires promotion of agribusiness enterprises, support to community-managed organizations of farmers, promotion of agropreneurs, and investments in agricultural and rural development, particularly in infrastructure, energy, water, education and health. Moreover, most youth entering agriculture are self-employed and work as smallscale farmers. Therefore, the provision of skills and training in rural areas should focus on the skills required to be self-employed.

Distress migration is particularly acute among rural youth. Agriculture and rural development are central to the rate of rural out-migration to urban areas. The agricultural sector needs to engage youth in order to increase global food production. In doing so, agricultural transformation can balance out-migration from rural areas and thus contribute to stable growth. This document presents the conceptual framework for distress migration of rural youth. The framework focuses on the migration of rural youth (aged 15–24), who account for a large proportion of migrants and are a particularly vulnerable group. The framework comprises three sections: 1. Analysis of the main factors determining the propensity of rural youth to migrate; 2. Assessment of the likely impacts of distress migration of rural youth in terms of rural development for local areas of origin; 3. Illustration of the most promising policies and programmes to reduce distress migration of rural youth and maximize its dev elopmental benefits for the communities of origin.

On 2–3 November 2021, to mobilize global action and highlight concrete solutions to eradicate child labour in agriculture, FAO, in close collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and in partnership with the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture (IPCCLA) and the Alliance 8.7, organized a high-level virtual event: the Global Solutions Forum (GSF). The objectives of the GSF were to raise the voices and commitment of agricultural stakeholders, share game-changing solutions, and identify ways to step up concerted action to prevent and end child labour in all agricultural subsectors. The outcomes of the event are expected to inform the V Global Conference on Child Labour in 2022, along with other global initiatives such as the United Nations Decade of Family Farming.

The purpose of the FAO’s framework is to guide the Organization and its personnel in the integration of measures addressing child labour within FAO’s typical work, programmes and initiatives at global, regional and country levels. It aims to enhance compliance with organization’s operational standards, and strengthen coherence and synergies across the Organization and with partners. The FAO framework is primarily targeted at FAO as an organization, including all personnel in all geographic locations. But the framework is also relevant for FAO’s governing bodies and Member States, and provides guidance and a basis for collaboration with development partners. The framework is also to be used as a key guidance to assess and monitor compliance with FAO’s environmental and social standards addressing prevention and reduction of child labour in FAO’s programming.

Today, the global youth population is at its highest ever and still growing, with the highest proportion of youth living in Africa and Asia, and a majority of them in rural areas. Young people in rural areas face the double challenge of age-specific vulnerabilities and underdevelopment of rural areas. While agriculture absorbs the majority of rural workers in developing countries, low pay and poor working conditions make it difficult to sustain rural livelihoods.

With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, FAO’s mandate has been reinforced and scaled up to a depth and scope that calls for a greater commitment in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Much still needs to be done in order to mobilize sufficient resources and support to meet the global necessities related to the eradication of hunger, malnutrition and poverty globally. Deepening our engagement with key resource partners and fostering new alliances with like-minded players is essential for generating real and far-reaching impact on the ground. This report provides a comprehensive overview of France's partnership and valuable contribution to the work of FAO in recent years, highlighting concrete results achieved in relation to food security, nutrition, resilience and sustainability at country, regional and international levels.