Noting that youth unemployment is a major challenge and needs urgent co-ordinated responses in order to be addressed, a comprehensive strategy on youth employment, as part of a broader focus on expanding employment in South Africa, is necessary. Last Saturday, President Jacob Zuma addressed the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, Ticad V, seminar in Japan, under the theme, "Enhancing Business Commitment in South Africa towards and beyond Ticad V". Among the issues raised was global youth unemployment - youth unemployment is seen as being a global crisis. Of the world's unemployed, 40% are young people. The International Labour Organisation, at its 101st conference, adopted a resolution on the youth unemployment crisis, calling for action. The resolution calls for immediate, targeted and renewed action to tackle the youth unemployment crisis.
The President mentioned that in the South African context, the systems of apartheid also created a serious skills deficit in the economy. South Africa also hosts a large number of young people from all over the continent. He mentioned that South Africa has developed a number of sectoral strategies, focusing on skills development, to meet these challenges. Youth unemployment features prominently in our National Development Plan, which is our blueprint document that will guide us through this challenging task to create full employment. This unemployment means that too many South Africans are jobless and are excluded from actively participating in the formal economy. The figure is 2,2 million and it contributes 2% of the world's unemployment rate.
However, we are optimistic that with our renewed and concerted efforts, we shall turn the tide. Our road map, the NDP, guides us to what is to be achieved. There is light at the end of the tunnel, the storm will be over sooner than we think, if our renewed efforts are translated into positive spin-offs. [Interjections.] The young people of the country need youth service programmes, community-based programmes to offer young people life- skills training, entrepreneurship training and opportunities to participate in the community development programmes.
The Minister in the Presidency - National Planning Commission, Mr Manuel, indicates that young people are key to South Africa's development, and educated young South Africans must be a key voice in ensuring that children from disadvantaged communities have access to education. The three priorities that stand out in the NDP are raising employment through faster economic growth; improving the quality of education, skills development and innovation; and building the capacity of the state to play a developmental, transformative role.
A sustainable increase in employment will require a economy that grows faster, and the removal of structural impediments is needed. The approach to youth employment must be based on the common recognition that more jobs need to be created to ensure that the total number of South Africans employed is significantly stepped up; that the benefits must reach many more people through sustainable and decent work opportunities; and to avoid youth employment schemes that simply displace older workers.
We want to welcome, hon Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Monitoring and Evaluation, the "big five" responses to youth unemployment. I would like to quote further from your address at the launch of Youth Month, when you said:
If we are to deal with these challenges effectively, society should be mobilised to partner with the youth in order to respond to these "big five" issues.
It is incumbent on us, active citizens working with government, to ensure that these issues translate into programmes. As an activist Parliament, our role is that of providing oversight and monitoring and evaluating the impact of programmes on the lives of the youth. It cannot be right that young people drop out of school and parents and active citizens don't take action to encourage young people to remain in the schooling system and complete their schooling. Where is the African proverb that says it takes a community to raise a child?
We want to welcome the Second Chance programme, driven by the Minister of Higher Education, which affords those who couldn't complete their matric to have a second chance.
I conclude by noting that our capacity, as young people, is sometimes doubted. People say we are too young and we have little or no experience at all. The sceptics say we are too young and not capacitated to be afforded this opportunity. All we ask is the opportunity to grow and reach our full potential. [Applause.]