Amid rife joblessness, the PwC 2024 Global Youth Outlook survey revealed that young South Africans are deeply concerned about access to education, water and sanitation, food insecurity and strong political institutions.
Their concerns emanate from the 17 urgent goals, referred to as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aimed at radically improving and stabilising the lives of people and the planet by 2030.
The 17 SDGs, identified and defined at the UN Sustainable Development conference in 2012, were set to address the urgency of environmental, economic and political challenges in the world.
The survey engaged 2 209 youth between the ages of 10 and 30. Of this cohort, 60% of South African youth expressed uncertainty about the government’s response to social and climate change; 51% believe non-governmental organisations are active in addressing the 17 SDGs; while 44% said community-based organisations are doing their best to respond to these needs.
The survey highlighted a potential reason for critical views of government, namely sparse youth representation in decision-making roles, as only 2.6% of parliamentarians globally are under 30 years old.
Young people believe that there are other social issues that need to be addressed and deserve the same support among the 17 SDGs.
Grabbing the most concern, 52% of young people believe action needs to be taken towards affordable and clean energy. Solutions to decent work and economic growth sat at 49%, while 47% of youth said there is a dire need to tackle the challenge of clean water and sanitation, zero hunger, and sustainable cities and communities.
In a world ruled by patriarchy, 30% of young people called for gender equality. Reduced inequality earned 41%, while 35% demanded action on climate change.
PwC has partnered with Generation Unlimited South Africa (GenU SA) to meet the 17 SDGs by 2030, where the youth is skilled for employment, entrepreneurship opportunities and social impact. The initiative aims to counter the heightened unemployment rate and contribute to the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention.
One of GenU SA’s pillars is a technology incentive where the digital divide is tackled for equal access to technology.
The UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) South Africa representative, Christine Muhigana, explained that through this initiative, the youth are not only technology equipped, but they are also eligible to manoeuvre digitised workspaces and businesses.
“GenU SA aims to equip more than 1.5 million young people by 2030 with digital, science and tech skills, entrepreneurship development and civic engagement opportunities to support their transition from learning into earning. Additionally, through various strategic public-private partnerships, GenU SA will also support connecting more than 22 000 public schools in South Africa to the internet,” she said.
Emphasising GenU SA’s commitment to ensure the 17 SDGs are met for youth economic and social progress, the UN’s resident co-ordinator in South Africa, Nelson Muffuh, said: “GenU SA is significant for several reasons. It shows the UN’s commitment to ensuring that the lives of millions of deserving young people are positively impacted by 2030.
“Some 65% of youth in South Africa, aged 15 to 34, remain outside of access to quality education, training or employment. Together with key stakeholders, we have a transformative role to play in ensuring our SDG targets are met, not only for our youth of today, but to create sustained frameworks that support youth development in the decades to come.”
The Star