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Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs Charlotte M. Ponticelli traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 20-21, 2008 to lead the U.S. delegation to a seminar on youth employment. The seminar was jointly hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Ministry of Labor and Employment in Brazil, and the Organization of American States.
DUS Ponticelli provided remarks on the panel, “Decent Work and Youth: main challenges and perspectives on the context of globalization and hemispheric development,” as well as opening remarks and concluding observations for next steps on youth employment. Her remarks provided an international framework for the dialogue and underscored the importance of a well-trained, adaptable workforce, with an emphasis on public-private partnerships and market-driven training.
The seminar responded to the September 2007 Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor (IACML) Declaration and Plan of Action of Port of Spain, as well as to the commitment by President Bush and his counterparts at the IV Summit of the Americas to reduce youth unemployment. It addressed an issue of concern to all countries in the hemisphere in terms of long-term economic growth, recent trends showing high levels of youth unemployment, and increased youth participation in crime and the drug trade and set the stage for continued follow-up work.
The seminar convened for the first time in one venue officers from the Ministries of Labor of the 34 OAS Member States, social partners, and representatives from international organizations, civil society organizations, professionals, and researchers responsible in the hemisphere for youth employment issues.
Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs Charlotte M. Ponticelli addresses seminar participants. DUS Ponticelli led the U.S. delegation to a seminar on youth employment May 20-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo credit/Ministry of Labour and Employment Brazil
DUS Ponticelli with Mario Barbosa of Brazil’s Ministry of Labour and Employment and Maria Claudia Camacho of the Organization of American States (OAS). The U.S. Department of Labor, the Ministry of Labor and Employment in Brazil, and the Organization of American States (OAS) jointly hosted the seminar. (DOL Photo)
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