DOHA: A three-day conference organised by Silatech and the Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI) to address the high rate of youth unemployment (25 percent) in the Arab world, one of the pressing issues in the region, wrapped up on Monday, a press statement said yesterday.
The event, under the patronage of H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, was attended by over 350 delegates from across the region who shared strategies in promoting youth entrepreneurship.
The theme of the conference ‘Arab Youth and Entrepreneurship: Holistic Approaches to Nurturing Local Ecosystems’ brought together leading entrepreneurs, Arab government officials, researchers, NGO representatives, corporate executives, youth leaders and the media to seek synergies in entrepreneurship interventions.
The event was held in association with the Global Partnership for Youth Employment, the World Bank and others. Qatar Shell was the gold sponsor of the conference. Silatech is a Qatar-based social initiative that works to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for young people throughout the Arab world.
Leading entrepreneur, Founder and Vice-Chairman of Aramex, Fadi Ghandour, stressed in his keynote address: “It is of utmost importance to offer young people the needed backing and right environment that will encourage them to build their future with their own hands and support their projects.”
According to Silatech CEO Dr Tarik M Yousef, “The problems young people face in our region cannot be solved by governments alone. The same can be said for the private sector and civil society. Adequate solutions to the challenge of youth employment will require sustained and serious effort on the part of all three, as well as coordination among them to broaden and deepen the impact of interventions.”
Dr Abdulsalam Al Sulaiman, Director of the Child and Youth Programme at AUDI, said: “Arab cities, towns and municipalities need to be at the forefront of efforts to encourage entrepreneurship and address unemployment among young Arabs, but they need full support and participation of the private sector and NGOs. We believe events such as this conference help build bonds of cooperation and knowledge-sharing that will strengthen efforts to spur economic vitality.”
The Peninsula
