Investing in Youth for a Sustainable Future

World Population Day was first observed on July 11, 1990, to commemorate the day when the world population reached five billion. On World Population Day this year, when the world population has crossed 8 billion, it is important to recognize several milestones countries have achieved, and to reap the benefits of Population for sustainable future.

In the last 70 years, there has been a 50% reduction in world fertility rates. However, the pace and extent of decline vary widely across regions and countries. This has been possible due to a reduction in maternal mortality rates, women’s engagement in the workforce and women’s empowerment. Fertility rates in many countries witnessed a sharp decline due to educational attainment, healthcare, high living costs, career prioritization, and improving economic opportunities. Declining fertility rates and consequent concerns over the larger ageing population due to increased life expectancy were discussed and highlighted in the World Economic Forum in Davos, held in January this year.

More importantly, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) marked its 30^th year. The global leaders, including youth, who participated in various discussions, acknowledged the global changing socio-economic, political, environmental, and demographic transitions. They highlighted that the collective future depends on each nation’s response to the connection between population and development and steering its policies toward a people-centric approach that addresses human dignity and rights.

Social and economic development is visible as we observe the 34th World Population Day. Yet, challenges remain around how the population and its age distribution affect reproductive health and rights, climate change, migration, employment, sustainability, equity and, most importantly, inclusivity. It is a moment for all the stakeholders at their national level to reflect on questions such as:

• Do we have policies and programs that provide universal access to sexual and reproductive health services and prioritize individual choices?
• Are climate change mitigation and adaptation plans truly considering the demographic transition and keeping people at the centre of dialogue and solutions?
• Is the development inclusive of places to reduce stressors in urban areas?
• Are the programs intentionally addressing the inequities across sectors and reaching sustainable developmental goals?
• Most importantly, are we investing enough in skills and employment opportunities for the youth to shape the future of development discourse?

Of these, youth’s active role in shaping the future of global populationis the most important element. Experts have advocated for investments in education, skills development, and employment opportunities for young people to harness the demographic dividend, inspiring us all.

Some countries have made significant strides in youth development, instilling a sense of optimism. For instance, Mexico and Germany have a ‘Dual Education Program’ that combines classroom education with practical training in companies, and a youth employment programme in Mexico; Rwanda’s initiative ‘Kazi Ndiyo Maisha (Employment is Life)’ supports youth entrepreneurship through training, mentorship, and access to financing; Singapore is known for its pro-employment initiatives, and it works closely with industries to identify the emerging skill needs and develop relevant training programs. The flagship program in India, ‘Skill India Mission’,trains millions of youth across various sectors in partnership with industry, training providers and educational institutions. Collaboration between government, private sector companies, and civil society has been instrumental in scaling up skilling programs and ensuring their relevance to industry needs. These partnerships ensure that initiatives are tailored to the needs of both job seekers and employers.

India, the country with the biggest population, also has a large proportion of working-age people. According to the United Nations’ World Population Prospects 2019 revision, around 65% of India’s population falls within the working-age category. The population predictions reveal that India’s working-age population will be at the highest level (68.9%) in 2030. Although this looks promising, there exists a gender gap in the participation of the youth labour force. The ‘ILO-India Employment Report 2024’ reveals that the proportion of young women among youth need to be more engaged in education, training, or employment. At the moment, it is skewed to favour males over females (90.2% vs. 51.6%).

Innovative ways to change the employability landscape by widening the employability basket will be key to harnessing the demographic dividend in India. These will require improved collaboration between government, private sector, and civil society organizations. Harnessing the technology and growing connectivity, engaging digital platforms for skill upliftment will bring the last mile into the fold. Fostering a culture of entrepreneurship and supporting backward and forward integrations will build a sustainable economy and widen the employability opportunities for women. India displays a progressive outlook on this with its schemes and policies on start-ups such as the ‘Stand-Up India’ scheme, which particularly covers women and marginalised communities; ‘Atal Innovation Mission’; ‘Mudra Yojana’, among many others. At the macro level, using data analytics and predictive modelling for futuristic skilling needs and designing proactive strategies will result in building a resilient economy.

While the skills and needs are dynamic, creating and maintaining data on proposed ideas such as ‘skill building’, ‘youth entrepreneurship’ and ‘industry connections’ is critical. Such data nationally will help present the skills landscape, aspirations, and investments needed to prepare the workforce to reap the demographic dividend. It will map existing skills, identify emerging trends, and bridge skill gaps to support economic growth and social development. Learning from India and aiming for such data on youth in other countries with large numbers will contribute to a brighter world.

Lastly, on this World Population Day, the words of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, echo with many of us engaged in promoting evidence-based decisions: “Investing in data collection is important to understanding problems, tailoring solutions, and driving progress.” This emphasis on data collection leaves us all feeling more informed and equipped to make impactful decisions.