EUROPE/SWITZERLAND - In the world over 200 million young people (aged 15-24) live in poverty, 130 million are illiterate, 88 million are unemployed and 10 million are affected by HIV/AIDS

Friday, 7 October 2005

Rome (Fides Service) - According to the “Report on World Youth 2005: young people today and in 2015”, issued by the UN department for Economic and Social Affairs, 200 million young people (aged 15-24) live in dire poverty, 130 million cannot read or write, 88 million are unemployed and 10 million are affected by HIV/AIDS.
The report says that youth constitute one fifth of the world’s population and that more must be invested for them starting from childhood.
Moreover 160 million children suffer from malnutrition, 11 million children under five die of preventable diseases.
Poverty, the report said, is the main obstacle to youth development and an estimated 18% of the world’s youth, 209 million, live on less than a dollar a day and about 515 million live on less than two dollars a day.
The situation is worse in southern Asia where 84 million young people live on one dollar a day and 206 million on two dollars. In Sub-Saharan Africa 60 million live on one dollar and 102 million live on two dollars; Latin America 11 million adolescents live on one dollar and 27 million on two.
Another obstacle to youth’s development is lack of education. Since 1995, the number of children completing primary school has continued to increase, and four out of five young people in the eligible age group are now in secondary school. Also tertiary enrolment has increased; it is estimated that globally, some 100 million youth are currently enrolled in university-level education. The current generation of youth is the best-educated so far. Yet, 113 million children are not in school; this compares with the current cohort of 130 million youth who are illiterate
Shortage of jobs means that 88 million young people are unemployed mainly in western Asia and northern Africa with 25.6%, Sub-Saharan Africa with 21%. Latin America and the Caribbean with 16% and 13.4% in industrialised countries.
HIV/AIDS is a major cause of death among young people. In the world 10 million young people are HIV+, most of them in Africa, 6.2 million and in Asia, 2,2 million, Latin America 700,000 and about 600,000 in industrialised countries. (AP) (7/10/2005 Agenzia Fides; Righe:32 Parole:390)


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