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New York, March 7th 2011
STATEMENT OF MR. ELYES LAKHAL, COUNSELLOR AT TUNISIA MISSION TO THE
UN, DURING THE PREPCOM 2, ON THEMES AND OBJECTIVES OF THE RIO +20
CONFERENCE.
Mr Co-Chair,
I’d like to thank you for this opportunity to exchange views on the objectives and
themes of the Rio +20 Conference.
I’d like to associate my delegation to the statement made by Argentina on behalf
of G77 and China.
I wanted through this statement to address mainly the question related to the
emerging issues and challenges.
In this regard, we’re of the view that youth unemployment and global social
injustice could be seen as the most emerging issues and challenges that pose
serious threat to sustainable development as well as to global peace and security.
The Revolution that took place in Tunisia on January 14th 2011 showed that it was
not just the beginning of revolutions in North Africa and Middle East but it could
also be the beginning of revolutions all over the World. The events are now
resonating so widely because the core problems that Tunisia witnessed are
common to number of countries in the World; a growing population of young
people who are at once educated and ambitious, unemployed and frustrated.
Young women and men without jobs or livelihood don’t care really if their
economies grow at 3 or 10 percent per year, They don’t care neither whether
their governments are implementing green economy policies, if at the end such
growth or policies leave them behind. Unlikely, Youth do care if their economies
and governments promote policies to provide decent jobs and social justice.
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Yet, ILO data show that unemployment figure is today at its highest level, with
200 million people that are unemployed, including some 80 million youth. North
Africa and Middle East count the highest youth unemployment rate with an
average of 24%.
Thus, the promotion of global justice and decent work should be the main
objective of the Rio +20 conference. The Rio+20 Conference should take clear
steps In this regard. The outcome document should make decent employment
creation and global justice strategies and targets a central component of
macroeconomic policy priority alongside sound sustainable development and
poverty eradication policies.
Thank you.
