Welcome to the United Nations
Youth Policies in the Arab Region
Subregional Workshop for the Gulf States
Bahrain, 28-29 May 2005
Arab Youth Strategising for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
This publication is a product of the ensuing dialogue between participants at the three workshops.
(Click here for Arabic version).
Find out more about the other two strategic workshops in Sana'a and Rabat.
Youth Policies and Strategies in the Context of the MDGs
Young people in the Arab world are standing at the crossroads of major changes in their countries.
The current generation of young Arab men and women is the most and possibly also the best-educated ever. Yet, many face enormous challenges in finding decent employment and in participating in democratic decision-making processes. In a joint initiative of the Regional Bureau for Arab States of UNDP and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (of which the UN Programme on Youth forms part), three workshops were held in the region to address these concerns in light of the Millennium Development Goals. In a series of three workshops in Bahrain, Sana’a and Rabat, four main broad themes under the MDG umbrella, that have particular relevance to young men and women in the Arab world, were discussed. These four themes were: globalization and inclusion; employment and the labour market; governance and freedoms; and gender and family.
- List of participants
- Group photograph of participants
- Newspaper articles
- Opening statements:
- Opening statement and welcome address by Mr. Khaled Alloush, UN Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative, UNDP Bahrain
- Statement by Mr. Joop Theunissen, Focal Point on Youth, UN DESA
- Statement by Ms. Nada Al-Nashif, Chief, Regional Programme Division UNDP/RBAS
- Statement by Ms. Amal Salman Al Dossari, Director of Child and Women Activities, General Youth and Sport Organization, Kingdom of Bahrain
- Statement by Guest Speaker, Mr. Rick Little, President, ImagineNations
- Agenda item 1: Youth, Globalization and Social Inclusion - Moderator: Mr. Rick Little
- Youth and Globalization in the Arab World – Ms. Gihan Abu-Zeid, consultant
- Impact of Global Media – Mr. Rami Khouri, Editor-at-Large, The Daily Star
- Agenda item 2: Youth Employment and the Labour Market - Moderator: Dr. Ghaith Fariz
- The Challenges of Youth Employment - Mr. Joop Theunissen, UN DESA
- Youth and the Labour Market in the Arab States, Mr. Tareq Haq, ILO Regional Office for the Arab States (See also: http://www.ilo.org/yen)
- Agenda item 3: Youth, Governance and Freedoms -- Co-Moderators: Mr. Rami Khouri and Dr. Azza Karam
- Youth, Governance and Freedoms - Prof. Ali al-Sawi, Cairo University.
- Models of youth political participation - Mr. Enzo Amendola, Secretary General, International Union of Socialist Youth. (Read the background document).
- Agenda item 4: Youth, Gender and the Family -- Moderator: Ms. Gehan AbuZeid
- Young women and the MDGs - Dr. Mounira Fakhro, University of Bahrain
- HIV/AIDS in the Arab World – Dr George Ionita, Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa, UNICEF
- Next Steps: --Moderator: Ms. Nada Al-Nashif
