All-round education and employment for young people is a shared SCO countries’ concern. Investing in Youth international conference opens in Astana

Investing in Youth international conference opened in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 19 October 2018. The conference was organised by the Lower House of Kazakhstan's Parliament, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Social Development and the Asian Population and Development Association.

"The SCO member states have 650 million young people aged from 15 to 24. Each of them has a dream that he or she is trying to fulfil. Each of them, using their talent and persistence, could play an important ground-breaking role as a promoter of innovations and positive social transformations," the SCO Secretary-General said in his address to the conference participants.

"At the same time the world is going through a period of major changes and serious readjustment. Along with this, factors of instability and uncertainty are aggravated and the situation in the world economy remains unstable despite some positive changes. Labour markets are experiencing difficulties with the provision of stable employment with good prospects, especially for young people. They often come across increasingly serious obstacles on their way to fulfilment," the address reads.

"The SCO member states pay close attention to the younger generation, in particular to its all-round education and employment opportunities. National development strategies include special measures encouraging the creation of conditions for an active involvement of young people in solving problems that concern them. The SCO leaders' address to young people and the implementation of the programme adopted at the summit in Qingdao are aimed at directing the enormous potential that young people have onto a productive track for the benefit of joint development," the SCO Secretary-General emphasised in his address.