Webinar: Combatting hunger and poverty through rural youth employment

This webinar is presented by the OECD Development Centre with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The globally worsening situation of hunger and poverty and the persistence of malnutrition are of grave concern, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable persons. Rural youth face the double challenge of age-specific vulnerabilities and underdevelopment of rural areas, limiting their opportunities for decent employment. This impacts socio-economic stability and resilience, contributing to food insecurity, inequalities, and migration. The situation is the result of both structural factors and the impact of multiple crises.

In 2017, Germany, as the then G20 presidency, launched on behalf of Members of the G20 Development Working Group (DWG) an Initiative for Rural Youth Employment. The Initiative aimed at intensifying efforts to promote employment for rural youth, notably in Africa. Five years forward, the DWG commissioned an assessment of the Initiative’s progress.

Today, as the Brazilian presidency puts the fight against hunger, poverty and inequalities high on G20 agenda, and given the close relationship between rural development and poverty and hunger eradication, there are lessons from the Initiative’s assessment that can be used towards the proposed Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.

This webinar offers a timely opportunity to reflect on efforts made by G20 countries and international organisations as well as the civil society to spur job creation for rural youth. Participants will discuss how to scale up effective approaches to support rural development policies and better respond to developing countries’ priorities.

This webinar’s objectives include:

1. Sharing lessons learned from the G20 Initiative for Rural Youth Employment to inform the G20 debate and actions.
2. Discussing with experts, policy makers, youth and G20 members on the importance of sustainable and rural youth employment to combat poverty, hunger and inequalities.

Draft Agenda:

Opening session

• Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Director, OECD Development
  Centre
• Paul Garaycochea, Director for Sustainable Supply Chains,
  Agricultural and Food Systems, German Federal Ministry for
  Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ

Presentation of the G20 Initiative for Rural Youth Employment: A Better Future for Rural Youth.

• Ji-Yeun Rim, Deputy Head of Unit, OECD Development Centre
  Roundtable discussion on RYE good practices and why it matters for G20 efforts at fighting hunger and poverty.
• Andrea Alfieri, Deputy Head of Unit Sustainable Agri-food
  Systems, European Commission DG International Partnerships
• Genna Tesdall, Director of Young Professionals for Agricultural
  Development (YPARD)
• Tebogo Lobaka, Sector Expert: Social Cohesion, Protection and
  Gender, Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), South Africa
• Sheryl Hendricks, Director, Natural Resources Institute,
  University of Greenwich

Moderator:
Federico Bonaglia, Deputy Director, OECD Development Centre

Open discussion

Implication for G20 2024 priorities

Saulo Ceolin, Coordinator of food and nutritional security, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Brazil.

Closing

Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Director, OECD Development Centre

The event will be hosted via Zoom.