On June 1, the United Nations concluded a “High-Level Event on the Demographic Dividend and Youth Employment.” Held at the UN headquarters in New York, the event convened ministers and high-level government officials from over 50 countries involved in addressing the youth employment challenge in their respective countries.

The event was organized by the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Population Fund, and the International Labour Organization. Qatar was represented by Ms. Maha Isa Al Rumaihi, Director of the Department of Planning and Quality Assurance at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ms. Amal Al Mannai, Executive President of Qatar Foundation for Social Work, as well as members of Qatar’s mission to the UN.

In recognition of its leading role in developing and supporting innovative programming aimed at creating economic opportunities for Arab youth, Silatech was invited by the International Labour Organization to participate in one of two expert panels organized as part of the event. The panel was titled “What Policies and Measures are needed to Create Opportunities for Youth Employment?” Silatech is a regional social initiative that works to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for young Arabs.

Over the past two decades, the Arab region has had the largest proportion of youth in its population of any region in the world. This demographic wave has placed pressure on both the education systems and the labor markets of Arab countries. Indeed, for over 20 years now, the Arab region has had the highest youth unemployment rates in the world by far, reaching close to 30 percent in 2015.

When asked what countries could do to improve the identification and promotion of youth employment solutions that work, Silatech Director of Research and Policy Dr. Nader Kabbani, who participated in the panel on behalf of Silatech, noted that “The youth employment challenge cannot be solved without creating jobs. In most countries, this means supporting the growth of micro- and small enterprises as the main engine of job creation.”

Drawing on Silatech’s experience, Dr. Kabbani identified a number of promising programs and interventions that have been successful in helping young people connect to economic opportunities, including school-based work experience and career guidance, increasing financial inclusion through online crowdfunding solutions, and supporting social entrepreneurship.

Participants in the event noted that successfully addressing the youth employment challenge requires the collaboration of the public sector, private sector, civil society in each country.  Only with each sector playing a role and working together can countries help young people reach their full potential.

With unemployment among Arab youth the highest of any region in the world—climbing above 29 percent in 2014, over 350 leaders and practitioners from civil society, government, and the private sector have gathered in Amman to share innovative and effective approaches to addressing the region’s youth employment challenge.

Organized by regional social initiative Silatech and hosted by the International Youth Foundation (IYF), the three-day conference on Arab Youth Employment: Promoting Innovative Solutions to Longstanding Challenges was launched today in Amman’s Landmark Hotel. The conference is being sponsored by the World Bank’s Solutions for Youth Employment Coalition and the Americana Group. It is also supported by the Jordan Chamber of Industry.

The conference will give special attention to the process of developing successful youth employment policies and initiatives, and creating opportunities for practitioners to replicate and grow effective programs throughout the region.

Silatech Acting CEO Mohammed Al Naimi welcomed delegates from over 30 countries at the opening of the conference, stressing the importance of learning from the experiences of others in order to design programs and policies that directly improve the economic prospects of young people. He stated: “We are gathered here in Amman for two main reasons. One, to share our findings and insights about the effectiveness of various youth-serving programs and policies; and, two, to form collaborations and partnerships to scale up and replicate successful programs. Knowledge sharing and action must be linked closely together if we are to achieve real and lasting impact for the youth of our region.”

Said International Youth Foundation CEO William S. Reese, “We’re here to discuss current trends, gaps, and best practice approaches for providing today’s Arab youth with the training and support they need to succeed in the face of high rates of youth unemployment across the region. Experience tells us there are no quick fixes, but that by working together—combining our collective resources and expertise—there’s much we can do to create opportunities for an emerging generation of youth with much to contribute to their communities and nations.”

During the day’s first plenary session—“Rethinking the Youth Employment Challenge”— HE Dr. Nidal Katamine, Minister of Labor of Jordan, Dr. Omar Razzaz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jordan Ahli Bank, and HE Dr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh, Founder and Chair of the Talal Abu Ghazaleh Organization, discussed why the youth employment challenge has been such a longstanding and difficult problem for the region, and ways in which the public sector, private sector, civil society and the NGO community can work together to address the issue.

During the three-day conference, participants will share lessons and experiences about a wide variety of topics related to youth employment, including the following:

• Innovations in youth enterprise financing;
• Engaging the private sector for youth employment;
• The importance of monitoring and evaluation of programs;
• Achieving scale and resilience in employment initiatives through technology;
• Partnerships in policy making;
• Enabling entrepreneurship ecosystems and alliances;
• Private sector-driven solutions for scaling up initiatives.

Contributing partners leading sessions during the three-day conference include the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, Oasis 500 (Jordan), Tamweelcom (Jordan), Mowgli (UK), Save the Children, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Beyond Reform and Development (Lebanon), the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (USA), Ahead of the Curve (Egypt), Tawasul (Oman), the RAND Corporation (USA), and Future First Global. Furthermore, policy makers from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia are participating in the conference.

Policy makers, NGO representatives, and private sector leaders from over 30 countries will gather in Amman from April 28-30 to share solutions and form partnerships to address the challenge of youth unemployment in the Arab world. Organized by regional social initiative Silatech and hosted by the International Youth Foundation (IYF), the “Arab Youth Employment: Promoting Innovative Solutions to Longstanding Challenges” conference will showcase innovative, evidence-based approaches to youth employment that are being implemented by leading youth-serving organizations from throughout the region and the world. The conference is being sponsored by the World Bank and the Americana Group. It is also supported by the Jordan Chamber of Industry.

While youth unemployment is a global challenge, the need for scalable, effective youth employment programs is particularly urgent in the Arab world, as youth unemployment in the Arab countries is the highest of any region in the world, and continues to grow. The jobless rate among Arab youth has increased from 24% in 2009 to 29% in 2014, while entrepreneurship has declined over the same period.

During the three-day conference, participants will share lessons and experiences about a wide variety of topics related to youth employment, including financing for young entrepreneurs, engaging the private sector for youth skills development, the benefits of technology in employment solutions, social enterprises and inclusive business models, and many more. The conference will give special attention to the process of creating successful youth employment policies and initiatives and creating opportunities for practitioners to replicate and grow effective programs throughout the region.

Acting Silatech CEO Mohammed Al Naimi and International Youth Foundation CEO William S. Reese will open the conference with welcoming remarks on Tuesday, April 28. A member of the Silatech Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, Mohammed Al Naimi became Acting CEO of Silatech on April 1 following the recent departure of Dr. Tarik M. Yousef, who served as Silatech CEO from mid-2011 through March 2015.

High profile policy makers slated to address the event will include HE Dr. Nidale Katamine, Minister of Labor (Jordan), HE Eng. Adel Fakeih, Minister of Labor (KSA), and HE Dr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh, Founder and Chair of the Talal Abu Ghazaleh Organization (Jordan). Other policy makers from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia will be participating in the conference as well.

Leading organizations represented at the conference will include the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, Oasis 500 (Jordan), Tamweelcom (Jordan), Mowgli (UK), Save the Children, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Beyond Reform and Development (Lebanon), the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (USA), Ahead of the Curve (Egypt), Tawasul (Oman), Rwaq (KSA), the RAND Corporation (USA), Al Amal Microfinance Bank (Yemen), Ruwwad (Jordan), the Jordan Federation of Tourism Associations, Bayt.com, Injaz Jordan, MicroCred (Tunisia), World Learning, the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council, Silicon Baadia, IHEC Carthage (Tunisia), and GIZ (Germany).

Conference registration is open now. For more information about “Arab Youth Employment: Promoting Innovative Solutions to Longstanding Challenges,” see the conference Website at www.aye2015.org.

Silatech, a regional social initiative, and the International Youth Foundation (IYF), a global youth development organization, are jointly announcing plans to hold a three-day conference designed to develop and implement solutions to the region’s growing youth unemployment crisis. The event, “Arab Youth Employment: Promoting Innovative Solutions to Longstanding Challenges,” is expected to draw over 350 delegates from throughout the Arab world, including representatives from leading NGOs and civil society organizations, policymakers, leaders from the private sector, researchers and the media to share insights and build effective partnerships to support Arab youth employment.

Youth unemployment in the Arab countries is the highest of any region in the world, and is growing. The jobless rate among Arab youth has increased from 24% in 2009 to 29% in 2014, while entrepreneurship has declined over the same period.

Organized by Silatech and hosted by IYF, the conference will be held at the Landmark Amman Hotel in Amman from April 28-30, 2015. This year’s event builds upon the success of the 2013 “Arab Youth & Entrepreneurship” conference in Doha, which brought together delegates from throughout the region to enhance youth entrepreneurship and economic opportunities at the grassroots level.

The conference itself is innovative in its approach, with a crowd-sourced agenda that features 18 sessions that are being organized by over 20 contributing partners – leading youth-serving organizations from across the region and the world.  The content will showcase the rich knowledge and innovative approaches that are being developed throughout the region.

The contributing partners organizing sessions at the conference include the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, Oasis 500, Tamweelcom, Mowgli, Save the Children, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, Ahead of the Curve, and the RAND Corporation.

Silatech is a regional social initiative that works with partners throughout the Arab world to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for young people. The International Youth Foundation (IYF), founded in 1990, is a global leader in youth development focused on education, employment, and citizenship.

Silatech CEO Dr. Tarik M. Yousef described the purpose of the Arab Youth Employment conference, saying “Over the last decade, many initiatives have been introduced throughout the region to fight unemployment and provide opportunities to our youth. Unfortunately, very few of these have made any noticeable impacts at a national level.”

Describing his hopes for the regional gathering, he added: “It is now urgent for us—and I mean all of us—to learn from each other what types of programs work best, and then partner with others to replicate these programs, scale them up, and achieve substantial impact at the national and regional levels. We are proud to be working with IYF and others to bring together leading minds to innovate and find solutions that work.”

IYF’s CEO Bill Reese reinforced the larger purpose of the conference. “While facing great challenges, today’s Arab youth have the enormous potential to boost economic growth in their communities and across the region.  This event brings together the critical players, from every sector, who have the resources and expertise to ensure that potential is realized.  IYF looks forward to working with Silatech and many others to ensure millions more Arab youth have the skills and opportunities they need to find success in the workplace, build their own businesses, and contribute positively to society.”

For more information on the “Arab Youth Employment” conference, see www.aye2015.org.