PM Alexander De Croo of Belgium joins GenU as Global Leader
In his new role, the Prime Minister will catalyze more support for youth skills and employability so that young people can thrive in the digital and green economy.
New York, April 30—Generation Unlimited is honored to announce that H.E. Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium, has joined Generation Unlimited as a Leader, alongside António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda; H.E. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya; and H.E. Paula Mae Weekes, President, Trinidad and Tobago. The Prime Minister has played an instrumental role as a GenU Champion since 2018 to prioritize digital connectivity and online/remote learning and skilling on the global agenda. In his new role, the Prime Minister aims to catalyze more support for youth skills and employability to support young people to thrive in the digital and green economy.
The majority of young people across the globe are inheriting an unequal playing field with limited opportunity to shape their own future or the contours of the societies they inhabit. Disruption in education and economic opportunities, social isolation, and uncertainty about the future, have all negatively impacted the well-being of young people globally. The need to equip youth with the skills required to thrive in the digital and green economy has never been more urgent.
Prime Minister De Croo will work together with government, business, and young people to mobilize political commitment and investments that support young people to develop their skills — foundational, transferable, digital, entrepreneurial, or job-specific—that every young person needs to prepare for a better future.
Alexander De Croo said: “I am excited to join the Generation Unlimited Leaders Group. For an entire generation of young people, the coronavirus pandemic is a defining moment that’s impacting their future. The next years, we’ll need more investments in quality education and skills development. We’ll also have to boost young people’s entrepreneurial skills so that they can stand strong in a digital, greener and more diverse economy. In the end, our hopes rest on the creativity and energy of young people. I am looking forward to speak out for them and work with them to drive this important global agenda forward.”
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore said: “We need all hands on deck to rebuild economies and prepare young people for a technologically driven future. We look forward to working with Prime Minister De Croo as a member of the Generation Unlimited Leaders Group to forge stronger public-private alliances that will connect young people to the education and digital skills they need, quickly and at scale.”
Kevin Frey, Chief Executive Officer of Generation Unlimited said: “I am happy that today, H.E. Prime Minister De Croo has joined Generation Unlimited. PM De Croo will work together with CEOs of multinationals and peer governments to build support for the digital skills agenda, broaden the coalition of support across sectors and geographies on global digital skills, and create avenues for adolescents and youth to participate in decision-making.”
“COVID-19 has induced a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure all young people access opportunities to develop the skills to realize their potential. GenU is aiming to reach 200 million young people in 190 countries by 2030 with entrepreneurial and skill-building initiatives. The leadership, experience, and political leverage of PM De Croo will be crucial to realizing this ambition,” said Frey.
