They are among the most impacted categories
Since half of last March, a large part of young Moroccans belonging to different socio-professional categories, or simply volunteers, have mobilized their active forces in a unifying momentum to counter the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic has certainly had a major health impact, but its repercussions on the economic and social plans are considerable. Among the most affected categories, we find young people. Young people all over the world have borne the brunt of the consequences. The school and university systems have come to a halt as the labor market crosses an unprecedented zone of turbulence. That said, young people were on the front lines in the response to the pandemic. It was therefore quite normal for International Youth Day this year to be dominated by this theme.
Celebrated in Morocco on August 12, International Youth Day this year represents an opportunity to pay tribute to the actions and initiatives undertaken by young people in their response to the new coronavirus crisis.
This year’s theme, “Youth Engagement for Global Action”, according to the United Nations, aims to highlight how youth engagement at local, national and global levels enriches national institutions and processes and multilateral organizations, as well as to learn lessons on improving their representation and engagement in formal institutional policy.
In addition, the celebration of this year is an opportunity, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and WHO, to greet young people from all over the world who have shown “Resilience”, “collective action” and “creativity” in their response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since half of last March, a large part of young Moroccans belonging to different socio-professional categories, or simply volunteers, have mobilized their active forces in a unifying momentum to counter the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Indeed, with nearly 36 million inhabitants, the population in Morocco is relatively young, recording an average age of 31.9 years and composed of only 7.4% of individuals aged 65 and over, reported the High Commission for Planning last July.
On the other hand, the International Labor Organization (ILO) recently noted that globally, more than one in six young people have stopped working since the start of the pandemic, and those who have kept their jobs saw their working hours decrease by 23%.
According to the same organization, young people are much more affected by the pandemic and the strong and rapid increase in unemployment among young people since last February affects young women more than young men.
The pandemic therefore inflicts a triple “shock” on young people, according to the ILO, which notes that “not only does it ruin their employment prospects, but it also disrupts their studies and training and constitutes an obstacle for those who want to access labor market or looking to change jobs ”.
In the same wake, the parallel youth government had called, in a memorandum presented to the head of government, for the need to give priority to employment, professional integration and the revival of the national economy to the post-Covid-19 period.
In its recommendations entitled “Reinventing public policies for a prosperous, sustainable and inclusive socio-economic emergence for the post-Covid-19 period”, the parallel youth government emphasized the need to “revitalize” the employment and professional integration through concrete measures which concern both companies affected by the health crisis and employees.
Furthermore, Morocco has always been at the forefront of increasing economic opportunities for young people and promoting their employability. This is evidenced, among other things, by the Integrated National Youth Strategy (SNIJ) 2015-2030 developed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in partnership with the General Directorate of Local Authorities, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund. This strategy, the primary objective of which is to guide public policies and guide the intervention of other actors in the area of integrated policy in the years to come, is part of a general ambition to place young people at the heart of public policies and in particular to meet the guidelines of the 2011 Constitution.
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