Finding ways to open dialogue and reduce chaos

Luay Shabaneh looks at the plight of young people in Arab countries

Omran Daqneesh. Aleppo Media Centre / EPA

Between World Refugee Day, World Population Day, International Youth Day and World Humanitarian Day, the United Nations may look as if it has spent its summer celebrating international days.

In reality, the summer has been painful in the Arab region and a reminder that even the largest development and humanitarian network finds the challenges of natural and man-made disasters almost insurmountable. Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya and Palestine suffer the brunt of intense armed conflicts in which civilians seem to pay the highest price. Sudan and Somalia continue in their protracted crises, and several other countries in the region struggle with internal political turmoil, making their route to prosperity difficult.

Every now and then, a major and tragic development, such as the stories of Aylan Kurdi or Omran Daqneesh, provokes public outcry and calls to the UN for renewed action to end the misery of people, as it serves as a reminder that conflicts have not spared anyone.

The Arab region, one of the youngest regions in the world in terms of the age of its population, is one of potentials, a region that should be able to use youth to its advantage rather than to push it away in search of a better future, often through perilous routes across the Mediterranean. One in five Arabs is 15 to 24 years old, but more than one in four is unemployed, according to recent research.

To them, the grass is greener on the other side, a side they see as abounding with education and employment possibilities that they have lost the hope of finding in their own countries.

Young girls are even more at a disadvantage, more the subject of discrimination generally and during conflicts especially. Despair and destitution increases the trend of early marriage among young girls, often as a way to relieve the family from a burden by handing the girl over to another family.

Research consistently shows that marrying early does not solve problems. If anything, it adds problems by putting the physical and psychological health of young girls at increased risk, preventing them from continuing their education and putting them at increased risk of abuse.

Disappointment, frustration and loss of hope pushes bright young Arabs to leave, despite repeated promises by their governments to empower them, include them in decision-making, and respond to their aspirations.

In fact, Arab states, like all 193 member-states of the United Nations, have subscribed to the Strategic Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 goals that define the rights, needs and responsibilities of people to ensure their well-being through the commitment to end poverty and hunger, improve health and education, and make cities more sustainable, among others.

And although governments generally recognise the potential of youth in a country, they need to address the root causes of inequality, instability, vulnerability and insecurity, forced migration, crime, radicalisation, exploitation and terrorism. Within the wider global discourse on migration, which is a source of economic and security concern for many countries, only concrete measures that will give women and young people equal access to education, information and employment will make many of them want to stay and contribute to the development of their communities and countries.

And while a major part of the responsibility for reaching the SDGs falls on governments, the process is in fact shared between governments, civil societies and the private sector which, each in its area, is a major player. The United Nations, and in our case the United Nations Population Fund, support governments in establishing their priorities, reaching out to partners in civil society, and evaluate the impact of policies and their effectiveness in really reducing poverty, improving access to education and jobs, and adopting environment-friendly policies.

To this end, the UNFPA facilitates consultations among governments, youth councils, academic institutions, and the private sector, to identify the specific needs of young people in the region and adequately respond to four priorities: employability and entrepreneurship, civic engagement, participation and inclusion, health and well-being, and education.

Only a true partnership between governments and non-governmental entities, with open dialogue and sincere efforts will yield the much needed results enshrined in the global goals. Anything less concrete will fuel the turmoil, adding to the migration flows from the Arab region and to the global malaise that results directly from the frustration and despair of young people.

Dr Luay Shabaneh is UNFPA’s director for the Arab region