World Bank will Committed in YEN?!

The 3rd High-Level Panel Meeting of the Youth Employment Network (YEN) ended with promising. Some how the goals of the meeting seemed realized due to a very promising President Wolfensohn. From the opening in the early morning in the first day meeting, he already gave many of the attendants a hope. His “inspiring”, “generous” and “effective” opening remark really encourage many of the us to work harder to get the stronger commitment from the World Bank to work for the youth employment issue.

The “unity” and “allies” between High Level Panel and the Youth Consultative Group (YCG) really exposed the uncordinate of the UN-ILO-WB. These three institutions started to blame each other for not committed in the progress. Since the establishment of YEN in 2001, it seems not much achievement so far. With the secretariat comprise by three staffs from the ILO and the website, the progress really need more momentum.

The only success case is the Indonesia National Action Plan. The other ten lead countries still remain in their interested level. Not yet put into the implementation level. The assessment of these progresses exposed the limitation of the bureaucracy in those International Institutions. To make sure those institution to move just like climb to the sky.

However, the ASA existence is significant to the progress especially in providing them a picture of the situation in Asia. As Indonesia, Sri Lanka and now the All-China Youth Federation were committed to the YEN, the ASA really important to keep our critical views on those policies shaping. The ASA have to build up a better working framework to monitor such prominent issue.

Therefore, the ASA has to think over the following questions:
As the Youth Unemployment issue become worse and serious, how ASA get involve in the YEN to speak out the youth situation today?
Do we agree with the framework proposed by the YEN? If agree, how to take it into action? If not, any alternative to work for this issue?
Are we going to work with the All-China Youth Federation? The ASA position on China needs to be clearer and well known.