About the partnership

Barclays has joined forces with UNICEF to help children and young people around the world achieve a brighter future for themselves and their communities. The partnership involves projects in more than 10 countries and the commitment of US$10m in money and employee time over three years.

The world looks to the younger generation to bring energy, talent and creativity to economies and build the foundations for growth and development.

Yet in recent years increasing unemployment and underemployment have hit young people hard*. Today’s youth struggle to find secure and meaningful work opportunities and face high levels of uncertainty and disillusionment.

The Barclays/UNICEF partnership aims to develop the skills of young people across the world by focusing on opportunities for education, employment, entrepreneurship and enterprise. The individual projects will help disadvantaged children get a decent schooling, and increase the number of young people finding employment or starting their own business.

Importantly, we also want to be able to measure the results of our efforts, and make sure the benefits are sustainable long after the partnership has ended.

* According to the International Labour Organization, people aged from 15 to 24 represent 50 per cent of the world’s unemployed. Halving youth unemployment would add at least US$2.2 trillion (4 per cent) to global GDP.

Contact us for more information: UNICEFpartnership@barclays.com

About UNICEF UNICEF is a global children’s organisation working specifically to support children and their rights. UNICEF works with local communities and governments across the globe in order to help children realise their talent and potential. This is achieved through long-term development programmes in healthcare and education, for example, and emergency work in times of crisis.

Mexico project overview Education levels for indigenous young people in Mexico are significantly lower than those for the non-indigenous population, meaning they’re less able to find decent employment on leaving school. This project will target indigenous children and adolescents in two economically deprived regions of Mexico City.