This year marks the end of a five-year history of the very ambitious Ukrainian Pact for Youth - 2020 initiative of the Center for CSR Development and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine with the support of the UNFPA Ukraine. The Pact for Youth initiative has been updated and focused on overcoming new challenges, and a new Pact for Youth - 2025 was solemnly signed today.

This initiative arose in response to the high level of youth unemployment - 15.5% (State Statistics Service, 2015), which was the highest rate among all age groups. One of the causes of unemployment is the gap between the existing skills of graduates of education institutions and the employers’ expectations.

For almost 5 years, the Pact has been signed by top managers of 148 companies, including leading banks, telecommunication and trading companies, large producers and local small and medium-sized enterprises. 45,000 places for internships and first jobs for young people were created; about five thousand girls and boys received mentoring support from leading companies.

Through the joint efforts of employers, the state, the public and international partners, the Pact Initiative has been recognized by CSR Europe as one of the best practices for young people in Europe, and the UN global initiative Decent Jobs for Youth named the Pact one of the best examples in the world for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 8.

“Contemporary youth has extraordinary potential and our task is to help them discover it, find their place in the labour market, so that for young people the job is not only a source of income, but also a place that brings satisfaction, fosters self-realization and through which everyone can contribute in the development of the Ukrainian society. This is the opportunity provided to many young people by the Pact for Youth – 2020”, said Vadym Gutzayt, Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.

Within the Pact a program of activities was developed covering three main areas: exchange of experiences between signatories, promotion of business-education partnerships and development of skills for youth employment. The Pact also facilitated the development of the National Action Plan on Youth Employment, the provisions of which were integrated into the Main Areas of Implementation of the State Policy on Employment and Stimulating Job Creation for the period until 2022.

“The Pact for Youth is a success story of partnership created by Ukrainian companies, government partners and young people. But the story does not end, it continues. And to a great extent it will be about the dreams that everyone should have. Our dream is for young people to stay and develop Ukraine. This will be demonstrated in the updated Pact-2025”, added Maryna Saprykina, Chairman of the Board of the Center for CSR Development.

The Pact for Youth initiative will be updated and focused on overcoming new challenges by 2025. Mentoring by employers will be a new priority of the Pact for Youth - 2025. Mentoring is a universal tool for transferring experience from successful experts to youth, as well as the opportunity to develop companies’ employees. Within the Pact, an All-Ukrainian Mentoring Platform will be established to break down the barriers and stereotypes, as well as to provide access to opportunities for young people from different regions, including vulnerable populations.

Today, on September 23, the new Pact was solemnly signed by the Minister of Youth and Sports Vadym Gutzayt, the Minister for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture Ihor Petrashko, Acting Minister of Education and Science Serhiy Shkarlet, UNFPA Representative to Ukraine Jaime Nadal, as well as representatives of 15 companies - UKRSIBBANK, KPMG, Alfa-Bank, lifecell, Decathlon Ukraine, Lactalis, Ukrtelecom, Coca-Cola Beverages Ukraine Limited, Metinvest Holding, Reikartz Hotel Group, Kredobank, Auchan Retail Ukraine, Nestlé, Raiffeisen Bank Aval, Servier Ukraine.

“At the United Nations Population Fund we welcome all the partners and companies that have united and joined this important initiative for the future of the young generation of Ukraine over the past four years, and sincerely believe that the new Ukrainian Pact for Youth – 2025 will become an “investment” platform for an even wider range of new partners, including education institutions, international institutions and youth organizations. The future of youth in Ukraine is our common responsibility, and investments in youth are funds invested in the future of the whole country!”, summed up Jaime Nadal, UNFPA Representative to Ukraine.

The Final Report ‘Pact for Youth - 2020: Ukrainian Platform of Opportunities’ can be found at: https://ukraine.unfpa.org/uk/pact-for-youth-2020-report

The Report was prepared by the Center for CSR Development within the framework of the Pact for Youth - 2020 initiative with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the United Nations Population Fund.