11 August 2009
By Ratana
Khmer Sthabna news
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

On Wednesday 12 August 2009 which is celebrated as the International Youth Day, Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary-general, sent a message on this special occasion stating:

“The theme of this year’s International Youth Day -– “Sustainability: Our Challenge. Our Future” –- is a global call to action for young men and women. Our world faces multiple interconnected crises with severe and far-reaching impacts that fall disproportionately on the young.

In 2007, for example, youth comprised 25 per cent of the world’s working age population yet accounted for 40 per cent of the unemployed. The global economic downturn means that, in the near term, youth unemployment will continue to climb. Unemployment rates tell only part of the story, especially for the vast majority of youth who live in developing countries. For them, informal, insecure and low-wage employment is the norm, not the exception.