23^th September 2023, New York– Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, a leading global education foundation, and Silatech, an international development organisation, hosted four major side events  to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at the 78^th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

The events brought together over 400 leaders, experts, youth, and academics, and highlighted the importance of funding education, remote work, climate change education, and AI, in providing marginalised and vulnerable communities around the world with opportunities to improve their lives. Together, these events have made significant contributions to advancing several SDGs in developing countries, including SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

The events were:

• “The Precarious Role of AI in the Effort to Provide Inclusive, Equitable Access to Higher Education for the Most Marginalised”, hosted by EAA Foundation’s Al Fakhoora programme, the Qatar Fund for Development, and the International Institute of Higher Education, 15 September 2023.

Notable speakers included the University of the Andes (Colombia), Rutgers University and Schmidt Futures, and Jeffrey D. Sachs from the Centre for Sustainable Development, Canada. Professor Sachs emphasised that the biggest hurdle to universal education was a lack of funding, and stated: “Education is the paramount investment for society. Listen to Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser: ‘Education Above All.’ Mean it.”

• “Investing in climate change and education for a greener future,” hosted by EAA Foundation’s Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) Programme and Silatech on 16 September 2023.

Speakers included Mr Ahmed Mohammed Al Sada, Assistant Undersecretary for Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Qatar; Mr Ayman Cherkaaui, Director, Mohammed VI Foundation for Environment Protection Kingdom of Morocco; Mr. Asif Saleh, Executive Director, BRAC;  Mr. Birihgton Kaoma, Global Director, SDSN Youth; Ms. Setafnia Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education UNESCO; Mr. Taha Bawa, Co-founder and CEO, Goodwall; Mr. Kevin Frey, CEO, Generation Unlimited, UNICEF and Ms. Vicky Aridi, Program Manager, Youth Economic Opportunities, 2030.

According to UNICEF’s Frey: “Climate education needs to culminate in young people taking climate action.” He stressed that knowledge should be a catalyst for tangible, youth-driven initiatives in the fight against climate change. This was supported by Mr. Asif Saleh who commented, “In every young leader lies the potential to drive change.”

Outcomes and recommendations from this session included: transparent financing for climate change education; direct funding for local youth groups and green entrepreneurs (ecopreneurs); reduction of costs for technological tools, and public-private-non government-youth partnerships; engaging youth as key stakeholders in decision and policy-making related to climate change education; and identifying innovative solutions that recognize local and indigenous knowledge.

• “Unlocking Potential: The Power of Remote Work in Economically Empowering Vulnerable Youth”, hosted by Silatech in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations on 17 September 2023.

This High-Level Panel advocated for the recognition and mainstreaming of remote work and freelancing as decent work and career innovations. Keynote Speakers included Special Representative of the ILO to the UN, Ms Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon, Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development Director General, Dr. Hiba Ahmed, BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh, Microsoft, Global UN, and International Development Lead, Alexandre Pinho and UNICEF Generation Unlimited Brazil beneficiary Winner Happy de Assis Cajueiro.

The session recommended that remote work be recognized and mainstreamed and that vulnerable communities should have support to access remote work opportunities, also calling on the private sector to invest in infrastructure and technology to support remote work and put in place online security safeguards.

• “Elevating Education as a Win-Win for the SDGs”, by EAA Foundation, at the SDG Pavilion on 19 September 2023.

EAA Foundation’s CEO Fahad Al-Sulaiti unpacked efforts by stakeholders to unlock the potential of young people to thrive in the future world of work and bridge the digital divide using tools to improve learning and increase capacities to navigate the future. Participants included HE David Sengeh, Chief Minister Sierra Leone, Former Minister of Education, SDG4 High-Level Steering & Transforming Education Summit Advisory Committee Co-Chair, Mr. Robert Jenkins, Global Director, Education and Adolescent Development, UNICEF, Dr. Luis Benveniste, Global Director for Education, World Bank, and Dr. Hiba Ahmed, Director General, ISFD, Mr. Marcos Neto, Director of Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP, and Manos Antoninis, Director of the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, among others.

Roundtable discussants acknowledged the EAA Foundation’s contribution and importance and ongoing work supporting education in the developing world. The discussions emphasized the need for innovative solutions in education financing, including community involvement, private-sector partnerships, and exploring new funding sources.

Each event included clear outcomes that the partners would take forward. Follow-up meetings will be held at the WISE Summit, a biennial event fostering innovation in education, to be held in Doha, Qatar, on 28-29 November 2023.

New York, 17 September 2023 – Silatech has announced a partnership with BRAC, the world’s largest development organization, to promote youth income generation through financial inclusion and unlock access to finance for 684,212 youth in Bangladesh to become self-employed.

The project, Unlocking Financial Solutions for Youth Enterprise Development was signed on the sidelines of the 78^th edition of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York today.

It aims to address the lack of access to traditional financing resources for the youth of Bangladesh who seek to sustain, start, or expand their income-generating ventures.

Over the course of three years, the project will provide financing products to young people who do not have access to traditional banking services. Moreover, it will offer financial literacy and entrepreneurial training programs to enhance the sustainability of their ventures and improve the financial literacy and capabilities of youth entrepreneurs.

The lack of access to formal financing is a significant challenge for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh, with the World Bank estimating a financing gap of US$2.8 billion. This gap is particularly pronounced for women-led SMEs, as 60 percent of them lack collateral.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated these challenges, leading to reduced income, job loss, and limited financial access for youth. The project seeks to bridge this financial gap and create meaningful economic opportunities for young people and their families.

“By promoting youth income generation through financial inclusion and empowering Bangladesh’s youth, we are confident that this project will significantly improve their livelihoods, create more employment opportunities within their ventures, and drive sustainable economic growth. Bangladesh has a huge youth population with few opportunities as it is the densest country in the world, and we are excited to partner with BRAC, the world’s largest development organization to help reduce the suffering of many youths due to lack of access to financial solutions” said Hassan Al Mulla, Silatech CEO.

Asif Saleh, the Executive Director of BRAC said, “BRAC believes in the power of youth to drive economic growth. We are extending microfinance services and combining it with financial literacy, and entrepreneurship training to young entrepreneurs from marginalized backgrounds. Our client-centric approach ensures tailored financial products, while mentorship and capacity building would help the young entrepreneurs fuel the growth of their businesses. We are excited to be partnering with Silatech in testing this innovative model to support young entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. This will help us not only to design more effective products but also understand and manage risks better.”

This partnership marks an important step towards youth economic empowerment and creating a more equitable and prosperous future for disadvantaged communities.

Silatech, a non-government non-profit, socio-economic development organization that empowers youth through capacity building, direct job placement and enterprise development for marginalized communities worldwide, has launched a powerful youth dialogue series at the side-lines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly that will help youth turn challenges into opportunities within an economic development context and through employment creation in the Middle East, North Africa region and beyond.

Within the event framework, a partnership agreement has been announced between Silatech and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). It will further create socio- economic opportunities for unemployed youth in MENA.

The partnership will launch a program together with Education for Employment Foundation (EFE) in Morocco, aiming to connect youth with decent employment. Silatech and BMGF will continue to explore interventions to advance employment opportunities in other countries in the region.

A key component of the initiative is highlighting the importance and urgency of promoting youth re-skilling and capacity building to achieve decent employment for young men and women among diverse industry sectors.

The inaugural Silatech Youth Dialogue Series, UNGA Edition held with the participation of Generation Unlimited, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the UN, was themed “The Role of Youth Socio-Economic Empowerment in Achieving Global Resilience in the Covid-19 Era.”

 The Youth Dialogue Series featured remarks by young men and women advocates representing several countries and advocacy groups from around the world to explore innovative ideas and solutions that address the challenges young people endure worldwide in alignment with the UN Youth Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

On occasion of the event, HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed Al Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the UN, commented: “The Covid- 19 pandemic has had a serious impact on young workers and those transitioning to employment, particularly young women. Qatar based organizations are actively working to provide youth with the necessary skills and connecting them from learning to employment.”

Hassan Ali AlMulla, CEO Silatech, said: “The instability of the economic landscape continues to place marginalized youth at greater risk of forced displacement, thereby inhibiting their capabilities to achieve their full potential. They are the evolutionary

catalyst that fuels change to a better future, and therefore our collaborative efforts are crucial to navigate this paradigm shift in the post-Covid19 marketplace.”

Dr Kevin Frey, CEO Generation Unlimited, commented:  “Young people today represent one-quarter of the world’s population – a generation of this magnitude has enormous opportunity to transform economic and social outcomes in line with the Social Development Goals.Yet, this is a world that is increasingly challenging for young people to navigate. With such profound shifts on the horizon, we have to take action, accelerating scalable, investable ideas and innovations that can support young people to acquire the skills they need to thrive in the world of work.“

Hassan Damluji, Deputy Director – Middle East and East Asia, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said: “Covid-19 has had a devastating effect on young people around the world, making it harder for them to access and ramp up the skills they need to build their livelihoods. This is why we are proud to work alongside Silatech to help create opportunities for the youth in Morocco, a country where 30 percent of the population is under the age of 15. As we emerge from the pandemic, this grant will help young Moroccans access trainings, job matching, and job placements in high-demand sectors, thereby providing them with opportunities to help build more resilient communities. Education for Employment is an ideal partner to execute on this ambition, given its extensive experience in youth empowerment across the Middle East and North Africa.”

Great performances by Sudan, Tunisia and Morocco in a cultural fundraising event

DOHA, 5 May, 2019

A number of Arab communities participated in a cultural event for a fundraising in Qatar Mall, in support of Silatech endeavors to create job opportunities for youth. The Sudanese, The Tunisian and the Moroccan communities made some great performances that reflected the cultural heritage of each of these countries.
The Sudanese band Al Msiriya entertained the audience with some dance performances which reflect the heritage, traditions and the cultural diversity of Sudan. Al Msiriyah is one of the ancient tribes in west Sudan.
The Moroccan community participated in the two days event with folkloric and traditional performances. In the first day, two children bands performed some of the Moroccan traditional songs and in the second day a men band performed a traditional Tamazight dance called Ahwash.
The children of the Tunisian School in Doha represented the Tunisian community in the event, performing some of the traditional songs.
This remarkable participation of Arab communities in Doha is a big sign of support to Silatech efforts to create jobs for youth in these countries and others as well.
Silatech started working in Sudan in 2015. It partnered with various local and international institutions. These partnerships resulted since then in creating 496,472 job opportunities for youth.
Morocco was one of the first country of operations, as Silatech started work there in 2008, implementing various training and employment programs with its partners. These programs and partnerships resulted since then in creating 223,300 job opportunities for youth.
In Tunisia, Silatech with various partners succeeded in creating 297,511 jobs opportunities for youth since 2012.
Based on these successes, this cultural event aimed to mobilise donations to achieve Silatech’s goal of providing 5 million jobs for youth by 2022.

Sabah Al-Haidoos: Silatech’s mission aligns with the IPU agenda in tackling issues of security, peace, fighting hunger, poverty, and achieving welfare and UN SDGs.

DOHA, 10 April, 2019

Silatech participated at the side events of the 140th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) taking place in Doha, Qatar.
Silatech’s participation aimed at demonstrating its role and mission to socially and economically empower youth, as the driving force for community development, thus achieving stability and transforming these communities and societies.
Silatech’s CEO, Ms. Sabah Al-Haidoos stated that “holding the IPU assembly in Doha, with the participation of politicians from all over the world is a valuable opportunity to demonstrate Silatech’s mission and its role in achieving development in volatile communities and those in conflict through the provision of job opportunities. This message aligns with the IPU agenda in tackling issues of security, peace, fighting hunger, poverty, and achieving welfare and UN SDGs”.
“The call of Her Highness Shikha Moza Bint Nasser at Silatech High-Level event in Geneva last month was clear. She called upon the leaders, politicians, governments, businessmen and NGOs to cooperate and join forces for the interest of youth and incorporate them to drive the development of their societies”, added Ms. Al-Haidoos.

Participants at the IPU meetings visited Silatech’s booth to learn about its pioneering experience in providing jobs to youth in 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East and its

success in providing more than 1,000,000 jobs since its inception in 2008 as a kind initiative of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser.

Participants also learned about the future programs that Silatech intends to implement to reach the goal announced by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Founder & Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Silatech, to provide 5,000,000 jobs for youth by 2022, as well as inviting leaders and politicians in the world to join efforts towards this goal, which is considered as a global challenge.

Silatech is seeking more partnerships to join a network of more than 300 local, regional and international partners with the objective of expanding its operational outreach in new regions.

Silatech also provided an overview on its programs that align with a number of UN SDGs and UN Youth strategy 2030, including:

• Farmers’ Skills Development through Sustainable Agriculture:
  This program is a partnership with Horn Progress Initiative in Somalia, and it aims to train Somali youth on climate smart agricultural practices and placing them into employment.
• Youth Empowerment in the Agricultural sector through Solar Energy:
  In cooperation with the National Microfinance Foundation in Yemen, this program aims to economically empower farmers through utilizing solar energy and installing subsidized solar panels that will power water pumps and enable them to irrigate their farms year-round, thus creates further employment opportunities.
• Entrepreneurship for Participation and Inclusion of Youth in Tunisia:
  This program is implemented in partnership with UN Democracy Fund and Zitouna Tamkeen to economically empower youth to build their confidence and commitment to participating in the democratic process.

Furthermore, Silatech showcased its innovative technological solutions to reach out to youth everywhere, including: “ta3mal” portal for training and employment, “Tamheed” platform for
career guidance through psychometric assessments and “Narwi” platform to connect young entrepreneurs with donors.

DOHA, 6 March, 2019

Describing the role of Silatech foundation in providing more than 1,100,000 jobs as pioneering work, the participants at Silatech high-level event in Geneva urged the international community to do more to address unemployment. They also stressed the importance of investing in youth development to contribute to the promotion of economy and peace for the security of the whole world, and to implement the international strategy against terrorism, especially as young people are the foundation of the renaissance of nations.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi stressed the importance of listening to the voice of young people, adding that they have always been followers and now they should be leaders, stressing the importance of investment to employ young refugees in host countries, describing the achievement of Silatech and its success in providing more than one mn jobs for young people as a leading role.

For her part, United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake said that poverty leads to social exclusion and marginalisation, noting that 64mn young people are unemployed while 70mn workers still live in extreme poverty.

Catalist & Chief founder of Jokkolabs Mr. Karim Sy said that it’s a must to adopt creative solutions to empower youth specially in Africa, the richest continent of youth.

“How do you deal with a doubling population every 20 years? We need innovation, we need to do things totally differently, technology allows that, it is incredibly powerful. The technology is bringing us the opportunity to work together. We can bring new solutions, we can think different, for farming, for energy, for education. We can invent a new path”, added Mr. Sy.

Ambassador for Silatech, Chaker Khazaal, said that young people need to build bridges of communication rather than walls.
As a former refugee, he has learned that he must cling to hope, adding that the world is dark, but hope must be upheld because it is the only way to the life of any refugee and thanks to organisations like Silatech, there must be the belief that tomorrow will be better.

Speaker Chris Gardner, Author of In the Pursuit of Happyness called for action to tackle unemployment.
He also thanked Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Silatech’s Board of Trustees and Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals, for her efforts in order to enable the youth and provide them with job opportunities through Silatech.

He added that Silatech’s work on empowering and improving the lives of young people is more important than ever, especially in a world that grows darker and more frightening every day.

The participants, including politicians and officials of the United Nations, the European Union and prominent international organisations, agreed that the provision of employment opportunities for young people is a key to economic development and real investment in any country.
Prime Minister of Somalia Hassan Ali Khayre said 70% of Somalia’s population is young and every job opportunity is an investment in the country’s future.
He added that the youth in the population in his country can be a positive or negative factor. If provided with the skills of entrepreneurship they would be the backbone of economic growth but ignoring them and not providing them with employment opportunities will make them a cause of instability and conflict.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and former president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, said youth are partners in change and benefit from it, and their voices must be heard.

She highlighted the importance of youth’s role, their empowerment, investing in them and interacting with them.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Silatech and UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocate, had announced on Monday that youth will receive 3mn employment opportunities globally by 2022, calling for more partners to help raise that number to 5mn.

Silatech is an international, social, non-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Qatar established by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser in 2008 which aims to combat unemployment, extremism, and marginalisation of young people and women through employment and economic empowerment initiatives.
Silatech is empowering young people to lead change and improve their lives and communities for the better.

Silatech announced that the fundraising campaign for refugees will continue until the end of October. The announcement was made during the live broadcast for donations that aired on Al Rayyan TV.During the broadcast that took place at the Mall of Qatar, Al Rayyan TV interviewed the youth driving the campaign and some prominent figures in the Qatari community about the importance of economically empowering young refugees and internally displaced persons.

They also discussed the influential role Qatari youth play as global citizens in addressing international challenges, particularly the refugee crisis, through charity and volunteer work.
In his Interview, The Executive Director of Programs at Silatech, Mr. Faisal Al Emadi highlighted the support for the campaign on various levels. “The interaction and the support for the campaign from everyone, including youth, citizens, expatriates, individuals and institutions in all sectors, embodies the deep-rooted culture of charity and volunteering work and the values of goodness and giving in the State of Qatar”, said Mr. Faisal.

In response to the commitment of youth, citizens and residents of Qatar to help alleviate the suffering of refugees and internally displaced persons, and the organization’s belief that achieving peace and stability everywhere in the world starts from combating poverty, unemployment, extremism, and marginalizing young men and women through empowering them and providing them with jobs, Silatech launched a humanitarian campaign entitled “Charitable competition to support young refugees and internally displaced persons” at a press conference held today.

The initiative seeks to involve the youth of Qatar and the Qatari community in providing humanitarian assistance and solutions to the Syrian crisis of refugees and displaced persons worldwide. It also contributes to enhancing the role of youth as global citizens to address the major global challenges, in particular the issue of refugees and displaced persons, and promote a sense of compassion and responsibility towards their peer disadvantaged youth.

led by 30 young men and women in Qatar competing to mobilize funds to generate jobs for 30 thousand young refugees within 30 days, the campaign aims at providing refugees and their families with decent livelihood opportunities and enable them to improve their lives.

During the press conference, Mr. Faisal Al Emadi, Executive Director of Programs at Silatech said: “Silatech works to connect disadvantaged and marginalized youth with opportunities: vocational training opportunities and the development of skills required by employers, employment opportunities, and support funding them to establish income-generating enterprises, especially youth in conflict and crisis affected areas.”

Al Emadi stressed on dedicating 12^th of October 2018 for donations through live broadcast that will be hosted by Al Rayan TV and in Mall of Qatar from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm where everyone is invited to support youth to collect enough donations to create job opportunities for Syrian refugees. Donations will be through the live broadcast or all communication channels announced by Al Rayyan TV throughout the month of October.

This campaign, spearheaded by Youth in Qatar, was launched under the sponsorship and with the support of various partners from all sectors contributing to the efforts of the State of Qatar and its pioneering humanitarian and developmental role to help neighboring societies in general and the refugees in particular. It is based on the unity of the government and its people as a single body for promoting charity and philanthropy. The State of Qatar is at the top of the list of donor countries that provide humanitarian and development assistance worldwide; an active humanitarian role that contributes to its achievement and continuity all segments of Qatar’s society.

During the press conference, Sheikh Ahmed Al Buainain, Muslim preacher, said: “The worsening of the tragic situation of refugees and internally displaced persons requires our support by providing them with decent work and thus saving entire families children, women and old people from poverty. Allah said: “The believers are but brothers”, We see our young people embarking on their good deeds, out of their awareness of the nation’s issues and the major events happening, and their sense of responsibility towards their fellow refugees.”

Habes Howail. Head of External Relations at Qatar Foundation and representative of the youth in the competition said:” We are all aware of the suffering of our fellow refugees in this ongoing tragedy, an issue that has many economic and social dimensions that affects not only the lives of the refugees and his host society but also affects us all in terms of the security and prosperity of our nation. We are part of a wider and interconnected world, our prosperity and stability is part of theirs. We have been taught by our country these values. We, as young people of Qatar, have to contribute to alleviating refugee of their sufferings. We feel obliged to give back to our country that provides us with safety and security while young people like us live among wars and displacement. “

“It is with great honor for our young people to lead this campaign for their brothers and sisters who do not enjoy the same opportunities, to be role models for giving, and to compete for the good of others. We thank all the partner institutions that have not spared efforts to support this humanitarian campaign. This is a living example of the culture of the State of Qatar for humanitarian and charitable work, the high values inherent in the Qatari society, residents and citizens, individuals and institutions, and across all sectors. We look forward to collecting enough donations to provide sources of livelihoods for these unprivileged youth” Al Emadi concluded.

The tragedy of refugees is not limited to fleeing their countries in search of safety. It has cost them the loss of family and loved ones, and the image of the Syrian child “Elan” who died on the shores of Turkey is still fresh in our memories. These refugees who survived the war or the death brokers face complicated problems and lack of access to suitable work, for reasons including lack of proficiency in the language of the host country, inadequate experience with labor market requirements, lack of required educational qualifications in the host country’s labor market or because they had to leave their studies and could not obtain a university degree that would enable them to find decent work, or simply because of the poor economic situation in the host country.

Silatech has responded to the refugee crises wherever they are and has devised customized programs to provide them with employment opportunities, training, and skills development to get jobs in their new lives. For example, Silatech has implemented various programs to support thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons in various countries, such as ad hoc programs that trained and employed thousands of Syrian refugees in Turkey, the program of supporting youth entrepreneurs in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and a program to train internally displaced youth in Syria and provide them with tools and workshops to work on future projects. In addition, Silatech implemented an economic empowerment program for battered, disabled, refugee and displaced women in Sudan, as well as many other programs to train and employ young men and women displaced by conflicts and natural disasters in Somalia.

The proactive and inclusive vision of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, which sees youth as the foundation of the renaissance of nations if they are empowered and linked to employment opportunities, has proved successful over the past ten years through providing one million jobs for young people which have changed the lives of entire families and communities to the better in 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa from the countries in which Silatech operates to support youth employment, including young refugees and displaced persons.

Young people have always been the focus of Silatech’s work, and in light of the difficult economic conditions experienced by refugees and their families, this campaign is a continuation of the organization’s hard work in fighting poverty and youth unemployment, which is one of the most pressing problems in our Arab world.