Azerbaijan, Baku, August 10 / Trend K. Zarbaliyeva /
"The global economic crisis has had a disproportionate impact on young people; they have lost jobs, struggled to find even low-wage employment and seen access to education curtailed," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on occasion of International Youth Day.
This year's commemoration of International Youth Day also marks the launch of the International Year of Youth, under the theme "Dialogue and Mutual Understanding".
Today's challenging social and economic environment warrant a special focus on youth, he said.
Eighty-seven percent of people aged 15 to 24 live in developing countries. As economies slowly begin to stabilize, the needs of young people should be paramount. This is a moral imperative and a developmental necessity. But it is also an opportunity: the energy of youth can ignite faltering economies
"I am regularly inspired by the good will, talent and idealism of the young people I meet across the world. They are making important contributions to our work to eradicate poverty, contain the spread disease, combat climate change and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. I call on Member States to increase their investments in young people so they can do even more," he said.