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According to the ILO and IFAD "Lack of investments to improve decent work prospects for young people in rural areas often results in lower living standards and de-population of rural areas. The absence of decent work and decent living opportunities and the hope of a better future are the main factors pushing youth to migrate from rural to urban areas or abroad. However, without training in the skills demanded by the urban labour market, youth have few chances to find decent work in urban areas. Often, migration to urban areas leads to unemployment, poverty and alienation and, in several cases, to anti-social behaviours or exploitation."

On the 13th April 2012 the IFAD-ILO Workshop on "Promoting decent and productive employment of young people in rural areas” was held at IFAD headquarters, Rome (Italy). The Workshop presented the findings of the ILO-IFAD review of the impact of a set of programmes on decent work opportunities for rural youth. The two agencies reviewed 23 programmes worldwide, including an in-depth review of five IFAD-supported projects in Egypt, Madagascar, Nepal, Nicaragua and Senegal. The review analyzed the realities and challenges young rural women and men face in their working environment. The review was carried out through the lens of the four pillars of the United Nation’s Decent Work Agenda – creating jobs and enterprises, guaranteeing rights at work, extending social protection, and promoting social dialogue.  

Findings presented at the workshop included lessons learned from past programmes, success stories and shortcomings in addressing decent rural youth employment. The aim was to inform the development of a framework of intervention for the promotion of decent work for young rural women and men.

Among the general findings presented, the following are of  particular relevance:

• The promotion of decent and productive employment for young people is easier to attain if young men and women are explicitly targeted;
• Projects which contain a component on enterprise development tend to have a greater impact on youth employment than those which do not;
• A two-pronged approach of working with both enterprises and young women and men is appropriate for programmes promoting decent employment;
• There is a tendency for programmes to contain components on the first pillar of decent work, while generally neglecting to address working conditions and social protection, rights at work and social dialogue;
• Programmes should adopt an integrated approach to the four pillars of decent work;
• Gender disparities in access to empowering features such as training and access to productive resources need to be explicitly addressed in all programmes/projects; 

In the coming weeks, ILO and IFAD will prepare a report synthesizing the findings and recommendations from the review. In addition, a working paper on rural youth employment will be published by the end of the year.

For more information: watch the workshop webcast.