A/HRC/40/31 38. Given the high rate of youth unemployment, social protection is crucial in mitigating the negative impacts of unemployment on youth, creating access to further education, facilitating their transition from school to work and improving their labour market opportunities, while securing a minimum enjoyment of their economic and social rights.33 States should invest in social protection programmes that consider the specific needs of youth, paying particular attention to the situation of young women who encounter even more obstacles in the enjoyment of their rights due to gendered social and cultural norms, as outlined above. Human rights-based social protection systems can support youth in their search for a decent job and in achieving their full potential. B. The right to education 39. The right to education is an empowering right that enables the realization of all other human rights. There is an important connection between the right to education and the right to work. Articles 23 and 26 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 6 (2) and 13 (2) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights link the right to work to the right to education and consider technical and vocational guidance and training as fundamental components of both rights. 40. Technical and vocational guidance and training aim to enhance personal development and meaningful participation of the individual in society. As such, they are critical components of one’s education as a whole, and are crucial measures for creating equal conditions in the labour market. In fact, unequal access to opportunities for training and capacity-building results in inequalities in the labour market. Moreover, acquiring, developing and updating skills and knowledge are key parts of personal development and self-fulfilment throughout professional life, and all aspects are indispensable for the realization of the right to work. 41. Technical and vocational training should be promoted, together with equality and accessibility, for both those seeking work and those seeking to improve their skills in a trade or profession. For young people in particular, barriers to or the lack of education and guidance and technical-professional training reduce professional and job opportunities. 42. Given that the significant number of young people not in education, training or employment lead to disproportionate levels of unemployment and exploitation, States should step up their efforts in offering appropriate technical and professional training. Further guidance could be drawn from the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which stated in its general comment No. 20 (2016) on the implementation of the rights of the child during adolescence, that States need to put in place formal and informal education and training designed for the twenty-first-century skills necessary in the modern labour market.34 43. In particular, the Committee recommended expanding experiential and practical learning, developing vocational training based on labour market demand, establishing public-private sector partnerships for apprenticeship and providing guidance on academic and vocational opportunities.35 The failure to establish adequate technical and professional programmes for young people may constitute a violation of their right to work. 44. It is important to note that the objectives of the right to education go beyond the preparation for professional life. 36 Education should be directed towards the full 33 34 35 36 8 See A/HRC/28/35. Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 20, paras. 73–74. Ibid., para. 74. The right to education is enshrined in article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; article 5 (e) (v) of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; article 10 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; articles 30, 43 (1) (a), (b) and (c), and 45 (1) (a) and (b) of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; and article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.