As the concept of the “Green Growth & Job Creation in the Mena Region” is getting momentum day after day, it was the main theme of the latest Arab Youth Forum.The Forum was organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in partnership with the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT)in cooperation with the League of Arab States and Bibliotheca Alexandrina.The international 3-day forum was held from January 31stto February 2nd, 2016 and it hosted high level governments’ officials, representatives and heads of international and leading technical and financial institutions, and of United Nations organizations, both at the national and regional levels as well as academic experts, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders.
The Arab Youth Forum aimed at addressing key challenges encountering the Arab world, with special emphasis on the high unemployment rate amongst the youth. It also aimed to identifying adequate tools to integrate Arab youth in green entrepreneurship in today’s global job market. In other words, promoting green jobs for young people, linking green employment policies with existing initiatives targeting youth and identifying synergies between them.
The Forum’s activities were in line with the ongoing efforts of the Sustainable Growth Programme (SGP) at the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE). CEDARE represented by the Regional Programme Director of the SGP was a panelist in the session entitled “How can green growth and job creation for youth be achieved with a focus on selected productive sectors?”.
The first day of the Forum witnessed the opening speeches and an award ceremony for distinguished businessmen that significantly contributed to youth job creation. Onthe following two days, experts from distinguished organizations collaborated during several resourceful group meetings, also a Job Fair was organized, and other Youth Soft Skills sessions addressing youth and graduates were facilitated.Having a diversified group of distinguished participants including the World Bank, UNESCO, ILO, UNEP, FAO, USAID, CEDARE, GIZ, Egypt’s Cabinet of Ministers, and public and private sector entities has also contributed effectively to the integrity of the Forum.