Bangkok: The United Nations Development Program and Citi Foundation on Wednesday concluded the inaugural regional Youth Co:Lab Summit 2018 in Bangkok. The summit, which started on Monday, brought together over 200 delegates including government officials, private sector participants, NGOs, academia and youth participants to advance discussions and next steps in addressing youth unemployment challenges in the Asia Pacific region. According to the International Labor Organization, around 71 million young people, defined as those aged 15 to 24, are unemployed worldwide and Asia Pacific is home to 33 million of them. With the world’s youth population making up nearly a fourth of the global population, this presents a pressing problem. Even for those who are employed, the majority of the region’s youth live in poverty, especially in low and middle income countries. Launched in 2017 by UNDP with support from Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab* is a regional program that aims to tackle social and unemployment challenges by harnessing youth leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation. Further details on the Summit including the agenda and list of finalist teams for the Social Innovation Challenge can be found on the Youth Co:Lab Summit website at youthcolabsummit.org.UNDP
