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Sandra bij BNN United (halverwege, 28-08-2007)

Sandra bij WATNOU..?! (minuut 16, 24-08-2007)  

 Sandra in Spits (18-06-2007),

 Sandra bij Nos Headlines (19-06-2007)

Speech voor de Commissie voor Sociale Ontwikkeling, New York, februari 2007

Mister chair, honourable delegates,

Last August, I met a girl aged 15 who works in a cotton field. She is a young person who has a job, she is employed. Sadly she has been employed for over ten years. She started working in that cotton field when she was only five years old.

Today, a total of 89 million young people are unemployed. For some, the reason is that their skills and qualifications do not match the demands on the labour market. For others, the reason is a lack of education.

On the other hand according to the ILO, 218 million children under the age of fourteen are working every day, often under appalling circumstances. They actually should not have to work. They should be going to school. Because they do not get an education, their chances of getting suitable employment later in life are limited. They are caught in the cycle of poverty, which often extends to future generations.

If we want to break this cycle, and reduce the number of unemployed youth, we must start with ensuring education for all. Education is the most powerful weapon to change a life and the most valuable gift a person can receive. It enables people to take life into their own hands and to free themselves from poverty.

Progress is being made in the number of children attending primary school as demanded by the MDGs, but the pace is too slow, and the children are leaving school too early. At the same time we must make sure that quality education is provided, also in order to reduce the number of children dropping out of school to work before the age of fourteen, as is prohibited by the ILO convention on Minimum Age.

Quality education that matches the demands of the employment market, improves the chances of suitable employment for youth and adults. Quality education that empowers and advances understanding of and respect for human rights, contributes to the protection of children from exploitation. Quality education that encourages the development of knowledge, skills and values, forms a basis for the effective participation in society, suitable employment and the fight against child labour.

Mr. Chair, I cannot help but wonder:
How many of us, would have been sitting here today, if we had not had a chance for quality education? I was lucky to be born in a place where I could get a decent education, which enables me to speak before you here today. Many others were born in places where they were not as lucky to go to school, let alone receive quality education. According to UNICEF this is still a reality for 113 million children today. They are deprived of a chance for quality education and suitable employment later in life.

Therefore I call upon you:
- to make education a priority. We must ensure that all children have access to quality education until the age of fourteen. This means that the age discrepancy between the MDG2 and the ILO Convention on Minimum Age needs to be abolished.

Mister chair, honourable delegates, representatives of international organizations, and last but certainly not least, fellow youth delegates;

We live in a world where 89 million young people are unemployed. We live in a world where there are 218 million children, who should not have to work, but should be going to school. Fortunately, we also live in a world where we have the opportunity to change that.

Together, let's change their luck.

I thank you.