Werner Faymann arrives for a news conference in Vienna, Austria, May 9, 2016. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

ZURICH (Reuters) - Austria’s former chancellor Werner Faymann has been named as the United Nations’ special envoy on youth unemployment, the first appointment for the 56-year-old since he quit in May.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment on Friday, saying the success of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Agenda depended on “enhancing opportunities for decent work for youth across the board”.

The U.N. said young people are three times more likely to be affected by unemployment than older adults.

It said Faymann’s appointment reflected his long-standing and proactive role in promoting opportunities for young people.

Faymann served as Austrian Chancellor and President of the center Social Democratic Party for seven-and-a-half years before bowing to a revolt from inside his party after it suffered a humiliating electoral defeat to a far right buoyed by Europe’s migration crisis..