Topic Summary

As of 2024, there were an estimated 67.7 million unemployed youth between 15 and 24 years worldwide. The percentage of unemployed youth has been constantly fluctuating between 13 and 15% with a record high rate of unemployed youth in 2020 during covid, nearly 19%! Countries like Djibouti which have the highest unemployment rate have a rate as high as 76%. Seriously, there is a problem that needs to be solved. In this committee we will discuss challenges as relates to youth employment in the current job market. We will also discuss broader consequences of youth unemployment, contemporary solutions and how the ILO can help effect them.

Director’s Letter

 Dear delegates,

My name is Ian Toyota, a sophomore at Harvard College. I was born and raised in a small town in the countryside of Bungoma, Western Kenya. I study Electrical Engineering on the SB track at Harvard University with additional interests in Computer Science.

I was not able to participate in Model UN in high school as extracurriculars were discouraged there. But here at Harvard, I developed a lot of interest in the club and have been doing it ever since. I worked as an assistant director in UNHRC in HNMUN Boston 2024 and had the privilege to co-direct a committee, UNCTSD, in HNMUN Africa 2024 a few weeks later. 

Out of Model UN I love looking up random videos on YouTube to feed my curiosity, cycling, cooking (bonus points if it’s with friends), traveling, sleeping, and reading novels, mostly African literature. This topic is especially pertinent to the international community. I challenge you all to think critically about it as you develop novel, innovative solutions.

I cannot wait to welcome you all to Boston this coming February!

Ian

Director, International Labor Organization