UNDP presents the 2009-2010 Mercosur Human Development Report

Montevideo — More than 65 million youth (ages 15-29) live in the countries that make up Mercosur: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Despite the socioeconomic situation, they have projects, dreams and an enormous capacity to contribute to human development in their societies, as well as to be active agents for change. This is laid out in the 2009-2010 Mercosur Human Development Report, “Innovating for Inclusion: Youth and Human Development”.  The report, published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was launched today in Montevideo, Uruguay.

The Report highlights that even though the educational level of the young population (ages 15-29) in these four countries is higher than what previous generations experienced, today youngsters face greater difficulties in the transition from school to the labour market. In Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, the population below the age of 30 represents almost 60 percent of the total unemployed; in Paraguay the number rises to 70 percent.

In addition, today the younger generation feels more insecure, also due to the increased exposure to violence. It is 30 times more likely that a young person becomes a victim of homicide in Latin America than in Europe.

The report views strengthening young people’s capacity to act within and transform the region as a critical element in human development, and it pushes for public policies that favour this type of participation. The report has been prepared with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation in Development (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo, AECID), as part of the initiative titled “Broadening the Political Space for Human Development in Latin America and the Caribbean”. This initiative includes the publication of the Central American Human Development Report concerning Citizen’s Safety, and the Regional Human Development Report concerning the Intergenerational Transmission of Inequality.

"The threat of exclusion, which is nearly implicit in the transition process to the labour market, has been expressed by the young generation as the most unbearable, especially when contrasted with the greater expectations of social mobility generated by inclusive education," said Rebecca Grynspan, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. "According to this Report, the gap between the expectation caused by the access to education and a vulnerable job placement is the core expression of the youth’s malaise."

Read More..

Source:UNDP