Regional overview: Youth in the Arab Region

Regional Overview: Youth in the Arab Region
• One out of every five persons in the Arab Region is between 15-24 years old and more
than half of the population is below the age of 25.
• Each year, over 500,000 people enter the labour market in the ESCWA region, most (90%)
are youthi
• Arab countries have the highest regional youth unemployment rate in the world,
particularly affecting young Arab femalesii
• Only half of the Arab youth has knowledge about sexually transmitted diseasesiii
• Youth are almost entirely excluded from participation within parliaments in more than
half of the Arab countries, reaching a low of 7%iv

T he Arab region has witnessed marked socioeconomic improvements, despite having been subject to
persistent poverty, unemployment and armed conflicts. A current challenge is presented by the
unprecedented ‘youth bulge,’ which is a term used to describe how the proportion of Arab youth (aged
15-24 years) is increasing significantly in comparison to other age groups. That increase, combined with
overall Arab population pressures, has resulted in the most rapid youth population growth in the region’s
history. Given this trend, it is important to establish a development agenda that firmly recognizes Arab
youth rights and aspirations. Doing so can advance economic growth, social inclusion, and political
stability in the region.
Out of 22 countries in the region, only 9 have
either developed youth policies or are in the
process of formulating them. Nevertheless,
recent unrest in the region has presented a
compelling rationale for governments to bring
youth issues firmly into the focus of the
national agenda. Policymakers have increasingly
recognized the need to formulate national
youth policies and action plans, aimed not only
at fostering youth human capital development,
but also at providing them with the necessary
opportunities to reach their full potentials in
education, health, employment, and
participation in public and political life.

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United Nations entities have long been involved in working on youth-related issues in the Arab region.
Recognizing the importance of youth initiatives, they work hard to improve the conditions of young
Arabs by assisting Member States in achieving development goals. Their works includes but is not
limited to: advocacy, promoting national youth policies, strengthening youth participation, and
coordinating mechanisms with Member States in order to ensure better outcomes.

Issues and challenges facing youth in the region:
Education
Over the past two decades, remarkable progress was achieved in the region in all educational indicators.
Unfortunately however, significant problems do linger: high illiteracy rates among youth (reaching
16.6%), student dropouts from primary education, low enrolment of girls in comparison to boys,
deterioration of education quality, and a general mismatch between education curricula and the labour
market’s skill demands.

Sharp disparities in education exist within the Arab region. When comparing western Asia to northern
Africa, girls are three times more likely to be deprived of education than boys.v At the time of a 2005
study, nearly one third of children of the primary school age who were out of school were from least
developed Arab countries.vi

Interestingly however, education enrollment in tertiary education within the region favors women. This
could possibly be attributable to their low economic activity rates and higher admission exam scores, or
to the fact that young women are less likely than their male counterparts to drop out to join the labor
force or to study abroad.vii Nevertheless, university education is generally limited in Arab countries
when compared to other regions of the world. Despite the fact that the number of students enrolled in
higher education doubled between 1998 and 2008, when adjusting those figures for population increase
within the 18-24 age group, the gross enrolment ratio improvement was not considerable, rising only
from 18% to 22% across Arab countries.viii

It is only recently that special attention has been given to improving technical and vocational training in
the region. And even still, additional efforts are required to help fill in gaps in the labor market, such as
the enhancement of accreditation and certification systems, and the enhancement of ICT-related
programs.

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Employment
Together, Arab countries have the highest regional youth unemployment rate seen anywhere in the
world. Youth unemployment rose over the last decade, and this trend particularly affected young Arab
females. In 2009, more than 20% of the youth labour force in the region was unable to find a job, which
constituted more than half of the total unemployment.

While they do share many similarities, there are some key differences that stand out between countries
of the region. Arab countries’ national youth unemployment rates vary considerably: the 6.3% rate in
the United Arab Emirates stands in stark contrast to the 38.9% seen in Jordan. The Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) countries (considered to be net labour importers) seek to ensure that their young
nationals are encouraged to enter the private sector to find jobs that match their skill sets and pay
acceptable wages, as opposed to having them rely on Governments to guarantee permanent
employment in the public sector. On the other hand, the remaining Arab countries tend to be labour
exporters, and as such, they confront the challenge of creating jobs to absorb the increasing number of
young people eligible for entrance into the labour force.
Young Arab women are confronted with a double A statistical snapshot of youth employment
burden: their age and their gender. In Arab countries, issues in the Arab Region:
the conflation of these two factors has resulted in the
highest regional gender gap in terms of unemployment,
due to profound cultural, social and economic gender • There was 20% youth unemployment in
divisions. Studies indicate that only 30% of women of 2009, more than half of the region's total
working age participate in the labor market, and those
• Unemployment dips as low as 6.3% in
who do find work are limited to low–paying jobs in the
the UAE, and rises as high as 38.9% in
private sector, whether formal or informal. Though Jordan
labor laws in some Arab countries do not explicitly
discriminate against women, family laws and regulations • Only 30% of working-age women
intended to concede to women’s special needs, including participate in the labor force in the Arab
maternity leave and limits on working hours frequently region as a whole
discourage employers from hiring women.

Health
Despite significant progress in health over the past decades, Arab youth still suffer, to varying degrees,
from inadequate health provision and poor access to health facilities. This is especially true for young
women, youth in rural areas, and youth with disabilities. In least developed Arab countries standards and
quality of health services are inadequate, which is particularly relevant for Arab countries experiencing
security concerns and armed conflicts.

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Young people suffer from a lack of easy access to health information, particularly regarding sexual and
reproductive issues. Only half of the Arab youth has knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases.xiv Is-
sues related to unwanted pregnancies, HIV infection and AIDS, as well as female genital mutilations re-
main taboo in cultures that continue to be reluctant to discuss such concerns openly. Even though the
Arab region is the world’s least afflicted with HIV/AIDS, with a 0.3 per cent incidence rate among
adults in 2004,xv there has still been an increase in the incidence of HIV/AIDS, with data tending to be
underestimated.

Many young Arabs are vulnerable to risky behavior related to substance abuse, smoking, unhealthy nutri-
tional consumption, and reckless driving. The rate of smoking amongst young males is increasing, with
rates reaching as high as 37% in Algeria, while the incidence of smoking amongst young females has
dipped as low as 0.3% in Egypt.xvi In any event, such patterns of risky behavior have led to excess mor-
bidity and mortality in the region.
Recent Improvements in Regional Health Indicators: Gender disparities also manifest themselves on the
health front, despite real improvements in Arab wo-
• The Arab Region has the lowest incidence of men’s health. The maternal mortality rate in the Ar-
HIV/AIDS of any world region (0.3% among ab region fell to about 272 per 100,000 live births
adults) in 2000, a decrease of almost 34% from its 1990
level. Nevertheless, young women living in rural
• The maternal mortality rate fell some 34% areas are particularly exposed to reproductive
between 1990 and 2000
health issues. Many of them still marry at an early
• The infant mortality rate fell from 30 to 26 age and give birth to a large number of children,
deaths per 1,000 live births between 2005 and without spacing pregnancies out. Early pregnancy
2009 and inappropriate child-spacing contribute to poor
infant health and nutrition, thus increasing the risk
• Overall regional life expectancy increased by of early death. Infant mortality rates, however, saw
two years over the course of the decade a decrease even during the short period between
between 1990 and 2000, from 69 to 71 years. 2005 and 2009, falling from 30 to 26 deaths per
1,000 live births.

Participation
Given the recent protests and civil unrest in numerous countries of the region (e.g. Tunisia, Egypt,
Bahrain, Libya and Syria), it is important not to overlook Arab youth aspiration for participation in the
decision-making process. More than ever before, young Arab men and women are aware of the
importance of participation and its relevance for them, their societies and their future. However,
entrenched institutional arrangements, dated governing procedures, and inadequate evaluation and
accountability mechanisms have to date contributed to limited youth participation in decision-making

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processes.

Youth are almost entirely excluded from participation within the parliaments of more than half of the
Arab countries, reaching a low of 7% in the parliaments of Bahrain and Lebanon. Furthermore, only 4
countries (Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Yemen) have established specialized youth-related legislative
committees.xvii The majority of countries of the region tends to address youth issues by proxy, through
committees on sport, culture or family affairs.

Perhaps not surprisingly then, the potentials and innovative ideas of young Arab men and women are
often under-employed by duty bearers throughout the region. Youth participation in boards of directors,
for example, is limited and is often based solely upon appointment and selection. Moreover, they tend to
participate in activities that are not commensurate with their experience and skills. And, as a result, they
often experience feelings of frustration and social exclusion, which may help to explain recent attempts
by Arab youth to induce change.

Nevertheless, many Arab States have recently refocused their efforts on youth issues. They have begun
to recognize that this important part of the population should not only be though of as beneficiaries,
but also as active agents of economic, social and political transformations. With new, youth-led and
youth-oriented civil society organizations flourishing, and more young people utilizing information and
communication technologies, Arab youth are now more able to voice opinions, address existing
inequalities, and shape community priorities.

The UN System's Efforts on Youth in the Arab Region
United Nations entities have long been involved in working on youth-related issues in the Arab region.
Recognizing the importance of youth, they work hard to improve the condition of young Arabs by
assisting Member States in achieving development goals. The work of the United Nations and its
agencies is guided by the United Nations Development Group’s (UNDG) Regional Strategic Action Plan
on Young People.

The Action Plan is a set of leadership commitments and core actions for the UNDG, which contains
the essential elements and priorities to provide effective and comprehensive responses. It provides a
common approach and a tool for continuous improvement and refinement of the strategic response,
which is necessary to address the myriad needs of young people in the region. It is hoped that these
regional strategic youth priorities will translate into concrete actions at the country level that will
contribute to accelerating the achievement of the MDGs and the World Programme of Action on
Youth’s (WPAY) goals.xviii

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The Plan prioritizes a sectoral form of support, identifying six key areas of intervention for young
people’s development: health, education, protection, participation, labour and emergencies. Specific
objectives are given to each priority area, and different UN Agencies and Offices are in charge of them
within a certain timeline.
UN Agencies at work on Youth Issues in the Arab Region:

Depending on the area, one of the following might be the UN's lead youth issues agency:

WHO UNFPA UNICEF ILO ESCWA UNDP UNDG

UNDP has long been involved in promoting and advancing the concept of human development in the
region. The organization calls for an expansion of people’s choices and freedoms, and for an increase in
their ability to live long healthy lives, to be educated, and to enjoy a decent standard of living. As a
response to the recent events and the new political openings in the Arab states, UNDP will be helping to
design more inclusive governance where the voices of marginalized populations, especially the youth,
will be heard.

Another example of the UN’s efforts on youth in the Arab region is ESCWA’s project “Strengthening
capacities of policy makers in the region to formulate national youth policies and plans of action:
Responding to the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY).” The Project expects to strengthen
the capacity of policymakers to formulate, or to revise and upgrade, existing national youth policies to
bring them in line with the identified youth priority areas. It also aims to upgrade existing national plans
of action for youth to include a national list of indicators to monitor progress in WPAY priorities.

Formulation of National Youth Policies
Despite growing interest in youth, most Arab countries lack a strategic vision for youth development.
The region continues to address youth through unsustainable sectoral programmes and projects, rather
than by formulating national youth policies that would provide nationally-agreed-upon frameworks and
realistic guidelines from which actions can be developed to enhance meaningful youth participation and
development.xix

Among the 14 ESCWA countries, 5 countries have formulated national youth policies (Jordan, Bahrain,
Palestine, Egypt, Yemen), another 5 countries are in the process of formulating such policies (UAE,
Syria, Iraq, Qatar, Lebanon) and the rest of the countries (Sudan, Oman, Kuwait, KSA) only tackle
youth issues through their sectoral and national development plans. An absence of detailed statistical
data and research on youth, as well as inadequate national capacities for formulating evidence and

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knowledge-based youth policies, are some of the challenges being faced at present.

With the aim of fostering citizenship and motivating leadership abilities and negotiation skills amongst
the youth, a Lebanese National Youth Parliament was launched in 2009. It is comprised of 64 gender-
balanced members, selected from public and private schools. Similarly, an Iraqi Youth Parliament was
established in 2009, comprised of 275 members. This parliament aims to activate youth participation in
the political, cultural and social fields, and also to provide channels of communication for young Iraqi
men and women to express their aspirations and to contribute in making the decisions that affect them.

The Leader Qualification Centre in the United Arab Emirates implements the directives of the General
Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare regarding the preparation, education and enhancement of young
people and sports leaders, including their scientific and technical knowledge. It coordinates with youth
and sports institutions and organizations in formulating future plans and programmes, organizing
training sessions, and conducting relevant studies.
New efforts at National Youth Policy formation in the
Yemen, meanwhile, launched a Youth Arab region:
Consultative Council in 2007. At present, its
111 members are young persons aged 20 to 25, • 5 countries have established National Youth
with females constituting 45% of the total Policies: Jordan, Bahrain, Palestine, Egypt, and
number of council members. Candidates are Yemen
nominated by political parties, civil human rights
organizations, governmental unions, syndicates, • 5 countries are in the process of National Youth
and organizations for youth and persons with Policy formation: UAE, Syria, Iraq, Qatar, and
disabilities. The Council aims at enhancing a Lebanon
volunteering spirit among youth, and at
involving them in civil work, social service, as • Both Lebanon and Iraq established Youth
Parliaments in 2009
well as discussions on youth and national issues.xx

The Way Forward
It can be seen that more efforts need to be made in the Arab region to harness the potential of young
people and help them develop to the best of their abilities. The dire need to focus more on youth is even
greater in this time of unrest. Youth empowerment and development cannot be achieved without the
harmonized efforts of the United Nations’ entities and Member States in the region.

Arab countries have become aware, though unevenly, of the importance of addressing youth issues.
Much work remains to be done in order to improve the gender gaps that exist in education and
employment between young males and females. The quality of education and its correlation to the needs

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of the labour market is yet another area that countries in the Arab region need to focus on in order to
tackle the issue of unemployment among the Arab youth. Moreover, health provisions and access to
health facilities and health information should be improved. As witnessed in the recent uprisings in the
region, member countries should aim to guarantee youth participation in decision-making processes as
well as in the political and social realms. Last but not least, countries in the region should formulate or
revise existing national youth policies to assist youth development.

To be able to achieve the aforementioned improvements, the countries in the Arab region should work
to to overcome a number of obstacles that impede their capacity to formulate appropriate national
youth policies. Such obstacles may be of a structural nature (insufficient knowledge of modern
approaches to youth issues and of the priorities of the World Programme of Action for Youth) or
institutional (lack of an effective coordinating institution) or, in some instances, circumstantial (eruption
of wars and lack of stability and security). Coordinated mechanisms such as the UNDG Strategic
Action Plan on Young People, including UN Agencies and the Regional Commission, can play a role in
enhancing the capacity of these countries to formulate national youth policies, follow up their
implementation, and ultimately, evaluate them.

United Nations entities, such as ESCWA, should to continue their work in strengthening the national
capacity of member countries in the formulation of national policies and strategies targeting youth,
organizing training workshops, preparing guides to enhance the capacity of national staff in the area of
national policy formulation targeting youth, encouraging research and surveys that determine the basic
factors affecting youth and their needs, and finding ways through which these could be addressed.
Moreover, entities need to ensure that leadership exists for an extraordinary and immediate response to
the needs and challenges facing young people in the Arab States. Other strategies might include:
mobilizing the necessary technical and financial resources in support of the development and
implementation of national policies, supporting countries in the region in establishing and strengthening
data collection and monitoring and evaluation systems, and strengthening advocacy to raise awareness of
the situation of the most-at-risk young people, and to stimulate increased investments for programming
that target these populations.

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For further reading:
• UNDP, Arab Human Development Report, 2009
http://www.arab-hdr.org/publications/other/ahdr/ahdr2009e.pdf
• Regional Commissions, New York Office, Report “Full employment and decent work for all:
Regional highlights” 2008
http://www.unece.org/commission/MDGs/RC_brochure.pdf
• The ILO Global employment trends for Youth issue of August 2010
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---emp_elm/---
trends/documents/publication/wcms_143349.pdf
• League of Arab States. Arab Youth Reproductive Health and Intergenerational Communication, 2007
(in Arabic)
http://www.poplas.org/upload/ArabYouthReproductiveHealthArabic.pdf
• League of Arab States, Arab Youth Issues No.3, Arab Youth Participation: Challenges and
Opportunities, 2007 (in Arabic)
http://www.poplas.org/upload/ParticipationStudies_2007.pdf
• UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report (2005)
http://www.unesco.org/education/gmr/download/chapter3.pdf
• ESCWA Population and Development Report No4, 2009
http://www.escwa.un.org/information/publications/edit/upload/sdd-09-6.pdf
• League of Arab States, Developing Arab Education for Youth Empowerment, 2005 (in Arabic)
http://www.poplas.org/upload/2.pdf
• The Millennium Development Goals in the Arab Region 2007: A Youth Lens
http://www.uis.unesco.org/template/pdf/EducGeneral/MDGsArab07.pdf
• UNESCO: A Decade of Higher Education in the Arab States: Achievements and Challenges
Regional Report, 2009
http://www.educationdev.net/educationdev/Docs/arab_higher_education_report.pdf
• ESCWA, National Youth Policies within the Framework of the World Programme of Action, 2010
http://www.escwa.un.org/about/gov/session26/editor/Download.asp?table_name=sess26_documents
&field_ name=ID&FileID=31
• ESCWA: Statistical Committee, Item 4 (a), Chapter II: Guiding Declaration of the Economic and
Social Commission for Western Asia on giving greater attention to Youth Policies: An Opportunity for
Development, 13-15 October 2010
http://css.escwa.org.lb/english/295XXVI.pdf
• UNDG Arab States Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA): Strategic Action Plan on Young
People (June 2010)
http://arabstates.undp.org/contents/file/psg/StrategicActionPlan-Final_28_June_2010.pdf
• Clark, Helen. 2011. Jobs, Equity and Voice: Why Both Economic and Political Inclusion Matter in the
Arab World, Huffpost Worldhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-clark/jobs-equity-and-voice-
why_b_846424.html

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Endnotes
i Regional Commissions, New York Office, Report “Full employment and opportunities for all,
regional highlights” 2008
ii The ILO Global employment trends for Youth issue of August 2010
iii League of Arab States. Arab Youth Reproductive Health and Intergenerational Communication,

2007
iv League of Arab States, Arab Youth Issues No.3, Arab Youth Participation: Challenges and

Opportunities, 2007
v UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report (2005). Cited in ESCWA Population and Development

Report No4, 2009
vi Najib, K. Development of Arab Education Systems to Empower Youth: Challenges and Future

Prospects, 2005.
vii UN and League of Arab States. MDGs in the Arab Region, 2007
viii UNESCO: A Decade of Higher Education in the Arab States: Achievements and Challenges

Regional Report, 2009
ix The ILO Global employment trends for Youth issue of August 2010
x Arab Labour Organization estimates (2006). Cited in ESCWA Population and Development Report

Issue No.4, 2009
xi GCC Countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
xii Arab Labour Organization estimates (2006). Cited in ESCWA Population and Development Report

Issue No.4, 2009
xiii MDGs in the Arab Region, Op cit.
xiv League of Arab States. Arab Youth Reproductive Health and Intergenerational Communication,

2007
xv ESCWA Population and Development Report, Op cit.
xvi League of Arab States. Arab Youth Reproductive Health and Intergenerational Communication,

2007
xvii League of Arab States, Arab Youth Issues No.3, Arab Youth Participation: Challenges and

Opportunities, 2007
xviii UNDG Arab States Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA): Strategic Action Plan on

Young People , 2010
xix ESCWA, National Youth Policies within the Framework of the World Programme of Action, 2010
xx ESCWA Population and Development Report Issue No.4, 2009

This Fact Sheet was prepared by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Western Asia and the United Nations Programme on Youth. It is part of a series of
Fact Sheets developed under the coordination of UNPY to support the International
Year of Youth

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Regional overview: Youth in the Arab Region

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