YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMME

Transcription

1 Samoa One United Nations YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMME supported by: United Nations Development Programme International Labour Organisation Food and Agriculture Organisation United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization United Nations Volunteers

2 Project Overview Programme Country Proposal Name/Title Programme Area Programme Duration Samoa One United Nations (Samoa) Youth Employment Programme (YEP) Youth Empowerment 3 Years Anticipated Start/End Dates 26 th June 31 st December 2017 Fund Management Option Convening Agency Administrative Agency NIM UNDP UNDP Total Budget (USD) 3,700,000 Joint Programme Financing Agency Requested Agency Contribution UNDP Samoa 289, ,000 Pacific 239, ,500 UNDP SDG-F 500, ,000 Other TBC 2,671,500 TBC Totals 3,700,000 1,028,500 Programme Outcome Youth in Samoa, inclusive of those who are marginalised from mainstream economic activities, secure productive employment and decent work and contribute to sustainable and resilient economic growth. Programme Outputs 1. A technologically enabled Youth Employment Network that provides youth with information and employment services to facilitate their successful entry to the labour market. 2. Youth have the knowledge and skills required to access employment opportunities created by climate change adaption strategies and within the local economic development value chains relating to agriculture, creative industries and communitybased tourism. 3. Youth-led micro- and small businesses are strengthened as a result of tailored and comprehensive support services, which include policies, strategies and dialogue that facilitate an enabling environment for the growth of micro- and small businesses and enhance the protection for youth through the legal empowerment of the informal economy. 2

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4 Table of Contents Project Overview... 2 Brief Description...Error! Bookmark not defined. 1. Situation Analysis Socio-economic situation Labour force and employment creation Youth demographics Youth unemployment Youth and traditional culture Youth and Climate Change National response to youth issues Samoa s National Youth Policy UN Youth Employment Project Initiation Plan Regional Mandates and Frameworks for Youth Engagement Rationale for 1UN-YEP intervention Programme Outputs Programme Strategy Public-Private Partnerships Resource mobilisation strategy Sustainability and exit strategy Results and Resources Framework Annual Work Plans Funding, Coordination and Management Arrangements Funding Arrangements Monitoring Framework And Evaluation Legal Context or Basis of Relationship Annexes

5 Abbreviations AA ADB ARR ACEO AWP CA CCA CEO CO CoC CROP CSO DIM FAO GDP GEF GMS GOE GPRU HDI IP M&E MAF MCIL MCO MDGs MWCSD NGO NUS NVYS OVOP PAC PPP PSET PUNO QPR Administrative Agent Asian Development Bank Assistant Resident Representative Assistant Chief Executive Officer Annual Work plans Convening Agent Common Country Assessment Chief Executive Officer Country Office Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council of Regional Organizations in the Pacific Civil Society Organizations Directly Implementation Modality Food and Agriculture Organisation Gross Domestic Product Global Environment Facility General Management Services General Operating Expenses Governance and Poverty Reduction Unit Human Development Index International Labour Organisation Implementing Partner Monitoring & Evaluation Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour Multi-Country Office Millennium Development Goals Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development Non-Governmental Organization National University of Samoa National Volunteer Youth Scheme One Village One Product Project Appraisal Committee Public-Private Partnership Post Secondary Education and Training Participating UN Organization Quarterly Progress Report 5

6 RC RR SBAA SBEC SDS SHA SHD SIDS SNAP-YE SNYC SP SROS SUNGO TCMSP ToR UN UNDAF UNDG UNDP UNESCO UNRC UNV USP WIBDI YEN Resident Coordinator Resident Representative Standard Basic Assistance Agreement Samoa Business Enterprise Centre Strategy for Development of Samoa Samoa Hotel Association Sustainable Human Development Small Island Development States Samoa National Action Plan on Youth Employment Samoa National Youth Council Strategic Plan Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa Samoa Umbrella of Non-Government Organisations Trade, Commerce and Manufacturing Sector Plan Terms of Reference United Nations United Nations Development Assistance Framework United National Development Group United Nations Development Programme United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation United Nations Resident Coordinator United Nations Volunteers University of the South Pacific Women in Business Development Incorporated Youth Employment Network 6

7 1. Situation Analysis This section provides a brief overview of the major issues impacting on youth and employment in Samoa. The text draws heavily on existing analysis and reporting by the Government of Samoa, plus its development partners and national stakeholders. The age range of youth in Samoa, as defined by the National Youth Policy (2011 ) is between 18 years and 35 years. 1.1 Socio-economic situation The Samoan economy is based largely on fisheries, agriculture, small-scale manufacturing and tourism. The performance of the tourism industry has been particularly good but the Samoan economy remains vulnerable due to remoteness, income volatility, limited economic diversification, and susceptibility to natural disasters, environmental damage and limited institutional capacity. In recent years, the Samoan economy and labour market has suffered from the global economic crisis of 2008, the tsunami of 2009 and Cyclone Evan in late The Agriculture Sector (including fisheries) remains an important driver of economic growth and is key to ensuring food security, income generation and enhances export capacity. Subsistence agriculture and fishing are integral to Samoan livelihoods; more than two-thirds of households are engaged in these activities. While the Samoan economy also relies heavily on development assistance (16 per cent) as well as on private remittances (25 per cent) from overseas, sound economic management and high governance standards have contributed to positive economic growth. Over the past ten years, per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Samoa has shown average growth of 2.5 per cent (GDP in 2013 was US$801.9 million. Source: World Bank). Economic reforms aimed at improving the efficiency of the public sector, opening up the economy (including reducing import tariffs) and developing the small private sector in Samoa have been implemented since The World Bank s Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) rating and a Transparency International corruption perceptions rating indicate that Samoa has a relatively strong governance environment overall (World Bank, 2012). Samoa has an extreme imbalance of trade in commodities. The value of imported goods in the year to September 2011 (SAT$669.89m) was worth over 24 times the value of exported goods in the same period (SAT$27.15m). Tourism receipts (SAT$287.52m) and remittances (SAT$369.76m) in the year to September 2011 (Ministry of Finance, 2012) have helped Samoa sustain large current account deficits. The Government of Samoa has run Budget deficits for eight of the last ten years. Samoa s public debt at the end of 2010 / 2011 was 50.2 per cent of GDP. Almost all this debt was external. Samoa faces a critical challenge in supporting sustained economic and employment growth and poverty reduction in the aftermath of the 2008 global economic crisis, the 2009 tsunami and the 2012 cyclone. In fiscal year (FY) 2011/12, the economy grew by 1.2 per cent, and 7

8 growth slowed to 0.9 per cent in FY 2012/13, reflecting the impact of Cyclone Evan on the economy. In FY 2013/14, economic growth recovered to 3.1 per cent. The growth of decent and productive employment opportunities plays a key role in further strengthening and sustaining this recovery and in reducing poverty in Samoa. Samoa has a United Nations Human Development Index that ranks it 96th out of 182 countries. Based on the HDI, Samoa has one of the higher levels of social development in the Pacific, showing higher overall educational and health standards than other Pacific islands. The country is broadly on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) on health and education. Categorised by the World Bank as a Least Developed Country since 1971, Samoa graduated to Middle Income Country status as of January Gender issues, such as the promotion and protection of women s rights, gender equity and women and discrimination are of high importance in Samoa, being a matrilineal society. The level of women s participation in the paid labour force is relatively high, and their access to education and achievement in the formal educational system is virtually equal to men. Women occupy a number of senior positions in the public sector. The church plays a key role in influencing public opinion and in education through the provision of schools at all levels. 1.2 Labour force and employment creation Samoa s labour market is characterized by the formal segment and the non-formal segment. The formal segment is estimated to account for around 40 per cent of the labour force in Samoa and the non-formal segment for around 60 per cent of the labour force. An improvement in the employment situation in Samoa thus requires appropriate policies addressed at both segments. Supporting the growth of employment in the formal segment is a key priority pro-poor economic and employment growth in Samoa as it provides opportunities for workers in the non-formal segment (including the poor) to move into better jobs in the formal segment. It also offers opportunities to the young women and men who enter the labour market each year in search of wage employment in the formal segment. Since 2005 however, job growth in the formal segment in Samoa has become weak. Between 2000 and 2007, the number of jobs in the private sector increased from 12,168 to 16,921 but fell to 12,711 in Analysis of census results tells a similar story, with wage employment declining from 28,179 in 2006 to 23,365 in The decline in jobs in the formal segment has coincided with a decline of value added in manufacturing. Between 2000 and 2005, manufacturing GDP grew by 35 per cent but decreased per cent between 2005 and Such development is likely to have been influenced in part by the expiration of the Multi-Fiber Agreement, which expired at the beginning of 2005 and under which Chinese investors produced garments for export garments were one of Samoa s leading exports in the first half of the 2000s. Furthermore, 8

9 with high levels of remittances and tourism earnings, it has coincided with an appreciation of the tala in real terms by over 40 per cent between 2000 and 2012, likely dampening investment, and hence employment growth, in the tradable sector. Agro-processing has widely been identified as an industry with potential in Samoa. Labour intensive manufacturing provides another opportunity. With manufacturing being the only sector in Samoa with a higher share of women in employment than men, this can also serve to enhance income-earning opportunities for women. Within policies aimed at supporting employment growth in the formal segment, a focus on the dynamic sectors of the economy in addition to manufacturing is also warranted. Tourism has been widely recognized as a sector that can contribute to economic development, employment growth and poverty reduction. Private sector employment in the accommodation, cafes and restaurants nearly tripled between 2000 and Other services, particularly Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Business Services have also seen rapid growth, with employment in the sector more than tripling between 2000 and With the advance of information technology, which mitigates the constraint of geographical distance, sectors such as business process outsourcing (such as call centers and data entry and processing) could also be explored. Such industrial and sectorial policies that mainstream both quantitative and qualitative employment objectives can serve to spur employment growth in the formal segment, which offers expanding opportunities for workers in the non-formal segment to move into better jobs in the formal segment, and which in turn can serve to extend the coverage of social security. It also serves to diversify exports, which in Samoa is currently largely restricted to primary commodities (fresh fish, noni juice and coconut oil account for nearly three-fourths of exports), lessening the volatility of growth. Expanding employment opportunities in the formal segment is a priority consideration in Samoa but critically this must be coupled with appropriate policies addressed at the nonformal segment, where the majority of Samoan workers earn their living. In the non-formal segment, the vast majority of workers are subsistence oriented (agriculture and fishing). According to the 2011 Census, 35 per cent of the employed were in subsistence activities, a share that has increased from 29.0 per cent in The majority of the poor are found in the non-formal segment. Raising agricultural productivity with a view to increasing market production while maintaining levels of subsistence production required to feed families can thus play an important role in raising incomes and addressing income poverty. Importantly, policy initiatives to support off-farm employment opportunities are also required. Such opportunities can serve to supplement incomes from on-farm activities but also attract workers away from (or absorb workers) from agriculture, which in turn would allow incomes/wages for agricultural work to rise. In this regard, agro-processing and tourism provide opportunities for both off-farm 9

10 employment and in reducing the labour force in the non-formal segment. However, some poor households, due to inadequate opportunities for training and education, may lack the capacities to take up employment opportunities in the off-farm activities or in the urban formal segment, and thus government programmes to directly provide employment as a social protection mechanism, in the form of public works or employment guarantee schemes, can also serve to diversify household income sources. In the design of any such programmes, careful gender considerations will be required. The above discussion has highlighted the importance of raising labour productivity and recognition of workers in the non- formal segment while at the same time supporting adequate employment growth in the formal segment. Facilitating this structural transformation will need to be underpinned by significant investments in education, vocational training, skills development and legal protection of workers in the non-formal segment that meet the requirements of the labour market, the proper accreditation and recognition of skills, including village-based skills and upgrading of business environment for small businesses 1.3 Youth demographics According to the 2011 National Census, Samoa has a resident population of 186,340. Approximately 49 per cent are female. Population growth rates have averaged around 1 per cent since the early 1970s. Three quarters of the population live on the island of Upolu, with 21 per cent in the urban area of the capital city, Apia. Approximately 63 per cent of the population is less than 30 years of age. Youth aged between 15 and 29 years of age comprise approximately 25 per cent of the total population. Geographically, almost 50 per cent of youth are resident in the Apia Urban Area. Roughly one third live in North West Upolu and the remainder live in either rural Upolu or Savaii. 1.4 Youth unemployment Notwithstanding Samoa s economic and social progress, employment and more particularly youth unemployment and underemployment remain critical development challenges for Samoa. The rural to urban drift of young people for better education and employment opportunities is putting an enormous strain on the Government to generate adequate jobs for new entrants into the labour force, leading to higher levels of youth unemployment in urban areas. Furthermore, it is likely that the reverse drift of young people who failed to secure jobs in urban areas gets pushed back to rural areas where they are engaged in subsistence agriculture. The unemployment rate for youth in Samoa is 16.4 per cent. This is almost double the national unemployment rate of 8.7 per cent. 1 Young women in particular continue to face challenges in securing employment relative to young men. The 2012 LFS clearly indicates that 1 Government of Samoa (2012) Labour Force Survey 10

11 females have a higher unemployment rate at 20.2% relative to males at 14%. Only one in four women is economically active, while the share for men is two in five. In addition, out of the 31,203 young people classified to be not in employment, education or training and engaged in subsistence production, the majority were females (52.3%). Young women traditionally end up being engaged in unpaid family work, without access to skills enhancement or employment services. A key youth employment challenge in Samoa is how to satisfy the country s unskilled and unqualified workforce. Formal employment opportunities for youth in Samoa are very limited. The 2012 survey reveals that 40.3% of young people left school without graduating, the majority falling out of the school system during secondary education. Youths in the age group of years are the most likely to be unemployed (20.1% vs. 11.8% for the age group). Solutions are scare and highlight the urgency to implement policies and programmes on skills and entrepreneurship. 1.5 Youth and traditional culture Samoan culture - fa asamoa - is the invisible resin that keeps Samoan society together. Fa a- Samoa places great importance on the dignity and achievement of the group, rather than its individual members. Fa asamoa also provides for distinct and different roles of men, women, youth and children in society. This stratification of Samoan society provides both significant strengths and challenges in relationship to youth participation and empowerment. Culturally and historically, young people have a limited public or leadership role in Samoan society. The Samoan culture is significant in defining one s identity and in determining interrelationships and responsibilities; and this greatly influences the young people s aspirations on selfdevelopment and maintaining their identity 2. Typically Samoan culture is an oral culture, and strategies to promote employment among groups of young people must always begin with community meetings to discuss and identify the problem of youth unemployment and elicit suggestions for solutions. 1.6 Youth and Climate Change Climate change is, and will continue to be, one of the most significant challenges to the future of Samoa and the rest of the Pacific Island Countries. Across the Pacific the Asian Development Bank (ADB) forecasts that if the world were to stay on the current fossil-fuel intensive growth model (the business-as-usual scenario), total climate change cost is estimated to reach 12.7% of annual GDP equivalent by Samoa has witnessed hurricane and cyclones and there is threat of tsunami and flooding all the time. The impacts natural disasters have varying impacts on the working population in formal and informal economies. For example, Cyclone Evan devastated Samoa s economy in December 2012, which caused damage and losses estimated at 30 per cent of GDP. 2 Samoa National Youth Policy 2011-, Division of Youth, Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development 11

12 Subsequently, the economy contracted by 0.3 per cent in fiscal year 2013 (see Table 1), with heavy impacts on agriculture. Samoa has received significant financing for climate projects in the last ten years. For example, Samoa received Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEF) grants totaling US$13,159,851 resources for 11 national projects since it joined GEF, the projects include four projects in biodiversity, four in climate change, one multi-focal area, one in persistent organic pollutants, and one in land degradation. Samoa has also been part of 19 regional and global projects financed by the GEF totaling US$106,169,106. This includes the Economy Wide Adaptation to Climate Change (EWACC) project, with funding totally USD12.3 million over six years ( ) provided by the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) channeled through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE). While climate change has significant impacts on economic growth and employment, currently climate change resilience and adaption funds and projects typically do not have a proactive job creation focus. As was highlighted at the September 2014 SIDS Conference, these investments can contribute significantly to employment creation and sustainable economic growth. 2. National response to youth issues The Samoan Government s overall strategic priorities are contained in the Strategy for the Development of Samoa (SDS) This Policy presents the key development strategies and priority sectors for the development of Samoa. In pursuit of the national vision of Improved Quality of Life for All, the national policy is geared towards achieving a number of key strategic outcomes. These include maintaining macroeconomic stability; scaled-up investment in tourism to promote Samoa as an attractive tourist destination; promoting a healthy and an educated Samoa; improved business environment; strengthening social cohesion and stability; improved infrastructural services; and recognizing the importance of the environment through sustainable management of natural resources, increased investment in renewable energy sources, and mainstreaming climate change and disaster resilience. Employment is mainstreamed in the SDS, with for example measures and targets to increase: Number of new employment in export oriented industries through improving the enabling environment for business development; Employability of graduates from Post-Secondary Education Training (PSET) through better quality and access to education, training and learning outcomes; Level of subsistence agriculture moving towards semi commercial status through reinvigorating agriculture; and Number of women and youth engaged in community based program/business through targeted programmes and community engagement. 12

13 2.1 Samoa s National Youth Policy The government authority whose primary mandate is to coordinate youth policies and programmes is the Division for Youth of the Samoan Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (MWCSD). MWCSD established the Samoa National Policy for Youth (2011-), which defined the youth development objectives in Samoa, which has as a vision: For all young people to positively connect with their key spiritual, social, cultural, physical and economic environments through having equal access to opportunities and realize their full potential to pro-actively participate and contribute fully into sustainable community development. The definition of youth in the Samoa National Policy for Youth is between the age bracket of years. The policy concentrates its resources in the following policy outcome areas: Building knowledge on youth development so as to ensure responsive and relevant interventions in the medium and long term. Improved accessibility of youth to vocational training and second chance education with respect to employment creation in both the formal and informal sector. Improved support for economic development initiatives towards decreasing levels of hardship and vulnerability amongst youth. Improved health of young people towards a healthy and vibrant youth population. Strengthened family relationships, partnerships with various sectors and responsive community networks to ensure a high degree of social protection for young people. The Policy includes an implementation plan, and some of the key employment and training related programmes and institutions included in the plan include, inter alia: Youth representation and engagement through the Samoa National Youth Council (SNYC). As a spin-off of the Division of Youth activities the Samoa National Youth Council (SNYC) was established in 2012, expecting to involve young people directly in the youth development activities and reflect their voice at the national level. SNYC has village youth leaders as its local functionaries. SNYC is still in its very early stage of development. Apprenticeship scheme: the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (MCIL) in collaboration with the National University of Samoa Institute of Technology (NUSIOT), supports young workers through the Apprenticeship Scheme encouraging skilled workforce of trades people and full employment of local workforce through trade training and testing scheme in collaboration with the Training Service provider. Job-seeker registration and referral - MCIL has a registration and referral of jobseekers to employers and to explore employment opportunities through timely collection and assessment of labour market information to ensure continuous development and growth of private sector. Small enterprise development -- The Samoa Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) along with the Samoan Chamber of Commerce have introduced self-employment programmes. According to their reports, they have so far contributed ST12 million to 13

14 the economy, have supported 1000 SMEs and have provided 2,500 job opportunities ( Improved access to technical/vocational education and second chance education training the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture along with non-formal learning providers were to introduce programmes. However, despite the youth policy aspirations and programmes they are recent and seemed largely to exist only on paper. Consequently there is a need to: Strengthen the institutional framework mandated to coordinate, monitor and report on the delivery of youth employment programmes. Assist the agencies with assigned responsibilities in the National Youth Policy to review the effectiveness of their existing employment and training programmes and resources, and the potential to up-scale these programmes to meet the need of young Samoans. 2.2 UN Youth Employment Project Initiation Plan The UN Youth Employment Programme Initiation Plan (UN-YEP-IP) was developed to facilitate support for young people towards economic opportunities at the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) conference from 28th August to 4th September The three components of the project were: Component 1 - Training youth in the farm-to-table value chain process, including organic agricultural products which are locally produced and supplied to local businesses and restaurants; Component 2 - Train young artisans in production, packaging and business skills to show case their creative businesses and generate sales/incomes at the Youth Forum and Side Events during the SIDS conference. Component 3: Strengthening institutional capacity of SNYC to coordinate the Youth Employment Network of young people participating at SIDS and beyond. The key responsible parties for implementation of the above components were Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC), Women in Business Development Inc (WIBDI) and Samoa National Youth Council (SNYC). Overall the YEP-IP project achieved 100% of expected outputs with outstanding results evident across the different activities and components with youth gaining income from organic farms and art works sold at the SIDS Conference venue Youth Art and Youth Organic Produce at the SIDS Conference A total number of 96 young artists participated at the SIDS Village at the conference centre, 75 male and 21 female. The majority of young artists were from Leulumoega School of Fine Art. They included tapa makers and traditional weavers. Young people with special needs 14

15 actively participated at the SIDS Village exhibition, engaging specifically in demonstrations of woodcarving, weaving and siapo making. In addition the youth artists prepared statues and carvings that decorated the SIDS village. These statues highlighted Samoan culture, prints, myths and legends. A live carving demonstration provided verification that the students do produce such artwork. There was an organic food kiosk in the SIDS Food Court that showcased organic smoothies, fruits, coconut juice and pastries made from gluten free breadfruit and cassava flour. Farm To Table Programme was heavily promoted together with recognition of partners logo on its smoothie cups, uniform t-shirts worn by staff, brochures as well as signage and banners Youth Employment Network During this project the Samoa National Youth Council began the development of the Youth Employment Network database to serve as an e-platform data bank for jobs for young people. This process started off with data collection through the village based youth representatives both in Upolu and Savaii. As part of the process, a template was designed to guide the initiation of the Youth Employment Network through data and information collection from village based youth representatives that started in April A one-week of practical training of two youth volunteers was conducted focusing on translating the template into a simple Excel sheet, and transmitting data and information into the database. The 1UN-YEP builds directly on the success of the YEP-IP and aims to upscale the work in the areas of young visual artists, young organic farmers and supporting the SNYC. 3. Regional Mandates and Frameworks for Youth Engagement In September 2011 the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum met in Auckland, New Zealand. The Forum Communiqué issued at the conclusion of that meeting stated the need for greater action in mainstreaming youth issues nationally and regionally, increasing employment and other meaningful opportunities for youth, and including the voice of youth in decision-making. The Pacific Plan, coordinated by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), has stated that one of its thirteen strategic objectives is to enable the Enhanced involvement of Youth. This objective is identified as necessary to meet its overall goal To Enhance and stimulate economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security for Pacific countries through regionalism. The UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for the Pacific Sub-Region, which covers Samoa, aligns its programme around five Outcome Areas. This programme will contribute specifically to the delivery of UNDAF Outcome Area 3, which states that the UN system across the Pacific will promote the capacity to stimulate equitable growth, create economic opportunities and decent work especially for the youth, and promote sustainable livelihoods and social protection systems. Furthermore, the UNDP Sub-Regional Programme 15

16 Document (SRPD) for the Pacific Centre, and Fiji and Samoan Multi-Country Offices (MCOs) identifies women and young people as two marginalized and disadvantaged groups and states that the issues confronting them will inform the entire UNDP Pacific Programme for the period. According to the SRPD, UNDP should focus in particular on developing leadership and governance skills of young people and facilitating employment opportunities for them to effectively express their voice. 4. Rationale for 1UN-YEP intervention Addressing the challenge of youth unemployment in Samoa is a complex process. It requires political willpower and strategic inputs coordinated with actors in both the economic and social sectors. The 1UN-YEP will bring government policy-makers and legislators together with strategically positioned actors within the private sector and civil society to deliver results that will impact practically and sustainably on youth in Samoa. The 1UN-YEP outputs will contribute strategically to the following outcome: Youth in Samoa, inclusive of those who are marginalised from mainstream economic activities, secure productive employment and decent work and contribute to sustainable and resilient economic growth. The programme is designed with a holistic approach to address specific labour market constraints on the supply- and demand-side, and to ensure that youth have access to the information and other supporting services they need in order to access employment opportunities. Output 1 specifically addresses the gap between supply and demand in the labour market. Youth need access to information about employment and business opportunities, and to supporting services, including work experience, that can facilitate their successful entry to the labour market. Output 2 addresses the supply-side, helping youth to gain the technical skills and entrepreneurial knowledge that will generate employment and income opportunities created by climate change adaptation strategies and specifically within the agricultural, communitybased tourism and creative industries value chains. Output 3 addresses the demand-side, focusing on private sector-led growth and the policies and strategies that create an enabling environment for micro-enterprises to survive and grow sustainably, and a legally empowered informal economy that offers greater protection and reduced vulnerability for youth. 4.1 Programme Outputs The 1UN-YEP can be represented visually as follows: 16

17 Figure 1: 1UN-YEP Outputs and activity results Outputs Activity results Partners 1. A technologically enabled Youth Employment Network provides youth with information and employment services that facilitates their successful entry to the labour market. 1.1 Youth are registered on an e-platform that provides essential labour market information and facilitates communications between youth entrepreneurs and the marketplace. 1.2 Development of processes and capacities for the effective use of the YEN e-platform. 1.3 Increased volume of business-to-business communications between youth producers and buyers through the YEN e-platform. SNYC MWCSD MCIL 1.4 A National Youth Volunteer Scheme (NYVS) is established to provide youth with a decent work experience that enhances their future employability. 2. Youth have the knowledge and skills required to access employment opportunities created by climate change adaption strategies and within the local economic development value chains relating to agriculture, creative industries and community-based tourism. 3. Youth-led micro- and small businesses are strengthened as a result of tailored and comprehensive support services, which include policies, strategies and dialogue that facilitate an enabling environment for the growth of micro- and small businesses and enhance the protection for youth through the legal empowerment of the informal economy. 2.1 The agricultural value-chain provides opportunities for youth to gain skills and entrepreneurship knowledge that will secure income generation and employment opportunities. 2.2 The One Village One Product approach to community-based tourism generates employment and expanded livelihood-diversification options for youth with skills and entrepreneurship knowledge. 2.3 The creative industries provide sustainable new employment opportunities for youth with skills and entrepreneurship knowledge. 2.4 Climate change and disaster resilience projects in Samoa have new opportunities to incorporate youth employment results within their design and operational strategies. 3.1 A Youth Small Business Incubator scheme is established to provide youth entrepreneurs with continuous access to a comprehensive range of tailored business development services. 3.2 Youth entrepreneurship is facilitated by policies, strategies and dialogue that improve the enabling environment for micro- and small business growth, and increases the protection for youth through the legal empowerment of the informal economy. WIBDI MNRE MAF SBEC SHA SNYC CBOs SPREP CoC SAME SBEC WIBDI MWCSD MCIL 17

18 Output 1: A technologically enabled Youth Employment Network provides youth with information and employment services to facilitate their successful entry to the labour market. In Samoa, youth have limited access to information regarding vacancies, the skills in demand from employers, how to prepare job applications, how to be successful in interviews and what to expect when they enter formal employment. Less than 2 per cent of graduates each year register to the Public Employment Service 3. On the demand side, employers do not have access to information on where and how they can find the skills and human resources needed for their business. Activity Result 1.1 Youth are registered on an e-platform that provides essential labour market information and facilitates communications between youth entrepreneurs and the marketplace. The first function of e-platform will be to provide a database of youth planning to enter the labour market, and an effective matching service between youth and employers in both the private and public sector. Innovative approaches to Internet and mobile phone SMS technology will enable up-to-date labour market information to be made available to youth and employers. Activity Result 1.2 Development of processes and capacities for the effective use of the YEN e-platform. The e-platform will also support the monitoring and technical review of the Apprenticeship Programme of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (MCIL). In this regard, the e-platform will provide youth with information and guidance on the Apprenticeship Programme, and will profile case studies of youth who have secured labour market success through this government programme. Programme inputs will focus on developing the necessary skills, capacities and systems within SNYC and MCIL that will enable the YEN e-platform to function effectively and produce data that will support monitoring of progress and evaluation of impact. Activity Result 1.3 Increased volume of business-to-business communications between young producers and buyers through the YEN e-platform. The second function of the e-platform will be to provide an innovative Business-2-Business (B2B) channel for youth entrepreneurs to gather commercial information and communicate effectively with the marketplace. 3 Information gathered during UN interviews with MCIL September

19 Activity Result 1.4 A National Youth Volunteer Scheme is established to provide youth with a decent work experience that enhances their future employability. The ethos of volunteerism is deeply embedded within the culture of Samoa. Volunteerism is an integral part of village, family and cultural responsibilities. In addition, volunteerism through formal organisations such as The Red Cross Society, performs an important function in mobilising youth and bringing them together with other members of society in public interest actions, including strengthening the resilience and response to natural disasters. There is an opportunity to extend the concept of volunteerism and to highlight its potential to guide the career aspirations of youth, and to provide a pathway into future paid employment. The Samoa National Youth Council is an institution strategically positioned to promote youth volunteerism through its membership network of rural and urban youth. Youth volunteerism, through a structured programme managed and monitored by the SNYC, could play a key role in developing the agency of youth, raising their awareness of the importance of civic engagement and the role of youth as agents for positive change. An SNYC youth volunteer programme could also provide a pathway for youth into the world of work. Volunteerism, as promoted by the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme, has proven to be successful in generating knowledge, experience and skills that can assist youth in their transition to the labour market. The SNYC, with adequate technical and capacity building support from the programme partners, could establish, monitor and manage a youth volunteering programme which provides a structured learning and capacity development experience for youth that will increase their employability and facilitate their successful transition into the labour market. A well-planned volunteering assignment will develop knowledge, competencies and both hard and soft skills in youth. The positive experience gained and the skills developed will enhance the future employability of youth and improve their prospects for securing and retaining paid employment. The target beneficiaries of the National Youth Volunteer Scheme will include youth who are in full-time education or training and who have not yet started their transition into the labour market; youth who are still considering their career options, and unemployed youth who are actively seeking employment opportunities. The youth volunteer experience will be closely monitored by SNYC to ensure it is a constructive and useful experience for youth. In consultation with Ministry for Women, Community and Social Development (MWCSD), the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (MCIL), civil society and private sector representatives and other relevant authorities, the SNYC will establish criteria, regulations and processes that will enable the National Youth Volunteer Scheme to receive official accreditation, thereby deepening the labour market value of the volunteer experience. SNYC will also be supported to development knowledge products to highlight the link between volunteerism and employability, and to communicate the success stories from the NYVS. 19

20 Output 2: Youth have the knowledge and skills required to access employment opportunities created by climate change adaption strategies and within the local economic development value chains relating to agriculture, creative industries and communitybased tourism. Activity Result 2.1 The agricultural value-chain provides opportunities for youth to gain skills and entrepreneurship knowledge that will secure income generation and employment opportunities. This output builds on the successful UNDP-led YEP-IP activities carried out in 2014 in preparation for the global SIDS Conference. The output will upscale the agricultural skills training and capacity building for product development and marketing. The focus of this output is to enhance the livelihood and employment opportunities for youth in the production of both organic and conventional agriculture. The results will include skills development for youth in agricultural production techniques capitalising on the local produced products; application of a Train-the-Trainer methodology and strengthened rural outreach services from agencies (e.g. FAO, MAF, WIBDI) with established technical expertise in the agricultural production. Ongoing mentoring, technical and capacity-building support will be provided to young farmers and other youth who generate income and employment along the domestic and export value chains. This activity can also be linked to Output 1, utilizing the e-platform managed to SNYC to introduce members of its Youth Employment Network database to the income generation and the employment potential of both organic and conventional farming. Activity Result 2.2 The One Village One Product approach to community-based tourism generates employment and expanded livelihood-diversification options for youth with skills and entrepreneurship knowledge. This output will also build on the success of the September 2014 SIDS conference and the UNDP-led YEP-IP activities. Youth are now in a position to benefit from emerging Government policies that aim to expand the contribution of the tourism sector to sustainable economic growth in Samoa. Enhanced technical skills, entrepreneurship knowledge and access to new markets will enable youth in Samoa to make a major contribution towards the diversification of existing strategies of community livelihoods. This enhanced resilience will in turn enable communities to reduce their vulnerabilities to economic shocks resulting from climate change. The output activities will apply the best practices of One Village One Product (OVOP) methodology, adapted to the specific context of youth in Samoa. The OVOP methodology, which was pioneered in Japan in the late 1970s, has been replicated successfully in other 20

21 countries 4 for the benefit of local economic development. The OVOP approach encourages the mobilization of local human, material, and cultural resources to create value-added products and services for domestic and external markets. In partnership with strategically positioned institutions and groups including the Samoa Tourism Authority, the Samoa Hotel Association (SHA), SBEC and community youth groups and individuals; target areas will be selected to be the focus of programme inputs. In close consultation with village leadership, different villages around Samoa will be provided with tailored support services that will enable youth and other community members to exploit local economic opportunities within the tourism market. These economic opportunities could relate to location specific and unique cultural and ecological heritage. Income generation and employment for youth will be stimulated by creating viable markets for the creative industries, including music, dancing, art, handicrafts and leisure, among others. Activity Result 2.3 The creative industries provide sustainable employment opportunities for youth with skills and entrepreneurship knowledge. This output will also build on the success of the September 2014 SIDS conference and the UNDP-led YEP-IP activities. Youth are in a position to benefit economically through the promotion of Samoa s cultural heritage and unique natural resources. Enhanced technical skills in traditional arts including handicrafts, wood carving and siapo making, combined with entrepreneurship knowledge and access to new markets will enable youth in Samoa to make a major contribution towards promoting and preserving the cultural heritage while enabling the diversification of existing strategies of community livelihoods. This better resilience will in turn enable communities to reduce their vulnerabilities to economic shocks resulting from climate change. Income generation and employment for youth will be stimulated by creating viable markets and technical support through business planning for the creative industries, including music, dancing, art, handicrafts and leisure, among others. Activity Result 2.4 Climate change and disaster resilience projects in Samoa have new opportunities to incorporate youth employment results within their design and operational strategies. The UN and the Pacific Island Forum s statement last year stressed that climate change and ocean acidification remains the greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific. The statement also emphasised the critical importance of sustainable development, management and conservation of the region s oceans, coastal areas and fisheries, reaffirming the unique and particular vulnerabilities and development needs of the SIDS. The clear message from the Pacific island countries at the Rio plus 20 Conference was the importance of the sustainable management of the Pacific Ocean and its vast resources. The

22 green economy is therefore very much a blue economy. There are many technologies, work processes, products and services that reduce humanity s environmental footprint, and contribute to economic growth becoming more sustainable. The Government of Samoa has also taken significant steps both at the policy and implementation of various environment protection programmes that will help in creating green and blue jobs. The 1UN-YEP strategy will therefore focus on the green/blue economy 5 and on jobs that do not generate pollution or waste, are highly efficient in its use of energy, water and materials, and contribute appreciably to maintaining or restoring environmental quality and avoiding future damage to the ecosystems. Output 3: Youth-led micro- and small businesses are strengthened as a result of tailored and comprehensive support services, which include policies, strategies and dialogue that facilitate an enabling environment for the growth of micro- and small businesses and enhanced protection for youth through the legal empowerment of the informal economy. The theme of the Government s overarching Development Strategy (SDS) is boosting productivity for sustainable development. In a small economy like Samoa, the opportunity for employment creation is limited. Self-employment is often the only feasible option for income generation. Creating, managing and sustaining a commercially viable micro-enterprise is a complex and challenging process. Youth in particular those from poorer households, or with limited formal education, are often marginalised from mainstream economic activities. In addition, they face other complex obstacles and challenges, some of which are related to prevailing perceptions regarding their role in society and in economic affairs. Many youth who may have entrepreneurial ability do not have the knowledge, the self-confidence, the information networks or supporting systems and services that are necessary to bring a small enterprise from initial concept through to survival and growth in the competitive market place. In Samoa, approximately 80% of the private sector is comprised of micro-businesses, the majority of which operate within the informal economy. While the problems and needs of various categories within the informal economy are different, they are commonly termed informal because they lack recognition or protection under the national legal, institutional and regulatory, judicial and dispute resolution frameworks. They are also usually excluded from the advantages of formal financial and business support systems. In Samoa, approximately 57% of employed youths are working within the informal economy. There is therefore a need to examine the informal economy from a policy perspective, to 5 According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), environmental protection consists of activities to measure, prevent, limit, minimize, or correct environmental damage to water, air, and soil, as well as problems related to waste, noise, and ecosystems. This includes activities, cleaner technologies, products, and services that reduce environmental risk and minimize pollution and resource use. 22