Asia Pacific Youth Network

The financial crisis that broke out in 2008 has given rise to the worst economic crisis in 30 years and the biggest overall fall in GDP since the Second World War. The result is that Europe is not only undergoing an economic crisis but also a far-reaching social crisis. Thousands ofcompanies, above all SMEs, are going bankrupt, giving rise to high rates of unemployment, falling wages, cuts in social security, higher taxes on consumption, high basic commodity prices, as well as rising poverty and social  exclusion.

Young people are the hardest hit by this crisis. As highlighted in the “Global Unions’ Statement to the G20 Summit” on 3 and 4 November 2011: “The rise in unemployment since the crisis began has hit young people particularly hard, and together with rising long-term unemployment,high youth unemployment threatens to weaken long-term growth potential.” According to the figures published in the ILO report “Global Employment Trends for Youth” in 2011, youth unemployment rates have not simply seen a rise but a historical increase, going from 11.8% to 12.7% between 2008 and 2009 – the largest annual rise recorded in the last 20 years. The report addsthat overall youth unemployment has overtaken adult unemployment,further confirming the fact that young people are more vulnerable to economic shocks and are the “first out” and “last in” in times of crisis. Finally, the ILO also points out that it is the young people in developed countries that are paying the highest price for the crisis.

Read the full report from ITUC, click here

APYN is proposing crucial recommendations including resolution to the PSI 29th World Congress on PSI Asia Pacific Regional Executive Committee Meeting in Bengalore, India on 19 April 2012 that to Institutionalised Youth Committee into PSI structure.

NOTING THAT the PSI believes the future sustainability of unions depends on organizing young workers and addressing their interests and issues. Young workers should be empowered to ensure sustainability and a more future ready PSI. A youth committee must be given full recognition as a constitutional body. This is to allow young workers to participate in decision making processes, to provide relevant recommendations and to actively monitor the implementation of youth targeted policy. This will help the organisation become more participatory and more democratic in the way it functions and facilitate youth organising youth. It will create a pool of capable potential leaders for the sustainability of PSI.

Herewith draft resolution for your information, please click here

The International Labour Organization – the ILO – has declared youth unemployment a global crisis and is organizing national events in countries to address the problem.  Some 75 million young people are unemployed in the world. More than 150 million young people are living on less than $1.25 a day. To help find solutions to this world-wide crisis the ILO in organizing events in 46 countries.  The events are a run-up to a special conference on youth unemployment to be held in Geneva  May 23-25. One of the national events was held in Thailand just recently. Here are some of the delegates who attended the conference in Thailand.

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The PSI East Asia Sub-regional Youth Network  (EAYN) meeting was held on 11 March 2012 and was attended by 16 participants from 4 countries in the East Asian sub-region.

The meeting opened with a minute of silence for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, which occurred exactly one year previously at 14.26, Japan time, killing large numbers of citizens including public service workers.

Then it was decided that Brother Shin Sasaki, Chief of JICHIRO’s Youth Division and Sister Soo-Jung Hong, from KNEWU, would be the joint coordinators for the East Asia Sub-regional Youth Network for the year of 2012. As Sister Hong Soo-Jung was not present, Sister Sunghee Oh, from KGEU chaired the meeting with Brother Sasaki.  Read the rest of this entry »