On April 18, 2019, Edukans on behalf of the Civic Engagement Alliance organizes the seminar “Youth unemployment as a root cause for migration?” in The Hague.

Context

Mitigating the root causes of migration dominates the current Dutch development policy. Minister Kaag responds with this policy to the principles stated within the government agreement, based on the assumption that youth employment and education in low income countries will prevent youth from moving to Europe. Proof to support this assumption is questionable. Some sources even indicate the opposite, namely that with improved socio-economic conditions youth are more likely to migrate. The “root causes of migration” are moreover complex, diverse and subject to heated debates and the causal relation between local development and migration is questioned.

Youth employment might even increase youth migration, as better job prospects and higher salaries enable youth to search for a better future elsewhere. The conference “Youth unemployment as a root cause for migration?” will focus on migration of African youth to the European continent. One of the identified root causes of migration in the Dutch development policy, namely the lack of socio-economic opportunities and more specifically youth unemployment., will be highlighted.

Set-up

Together with host Frénk van der Linden, participants will discuss the assumption that youth unemployment is one of the root causes for migration, in a well-known “Lagerhuis” setup, with the room being divided into two groups debating statements.

Please follow these links, for the detailed programme and information on the speakers.