Conference participants in Amman discuss unemployment in region

AMMAN — With unemployment among young Arabs said to be the highest of any region worldwide, over 350 leaders representing private and public sectors, international organisations and NGOs gathered in the capital on Tuesday to brainstorm solutions to address the issue. 

Titled “Arab Youth Employment: Promoting Innovative Solutions to Longstanding Challenges”, the conference was organised by regional social initiative Silatech and hosted by the International Youth Foundation (IYF). 

During the opening ceremony, acting Silatech CEO Mohammed Al Naimi stressed the need to learn from the experiences of others in order to design programmes and policies that directly improve the economic prospects of young people. 

“We are gathered here in Amman for two main reasons: one, to share our findings and insights about the effectiveness of various youth-serving programmes and policies; and, two, to form collaborations and partnerships to scale up and replicate successful programmes.”

“Knowledge sharing and action must be linked closely together if we are to achieve real and lasting impact for the youth of our region,” he added.

William S. Reese, president and CEO of IYF, said “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 youths with much to contribute to their communities and nations.” 

Founded in 2008, Silatech works to expand economic opportunities for young people throughout the Arab world. 

During the three-day conference, participants will share lessons and experiences on a variety of topics related to youth employment, including innovations in youth enterprise financing, engaging the private sector for youth employment, enabling entrepreneurship ecosystems and alliances as well as private sector-driven solutions for scaling up initiatives. 

According to figures distributed by organisers, unemployment among young Arabs reached around 30 per cent in 2014.