Addressing the 100 Million Youth Challenge - Perspectives on Youth Employment in the Arab World in 2012- Regional Agenda

This publication is a direct response to this unique situation in the Arab world and concretely to the renewed urgency in addressing the youth unemployment challenge in the wake of the Arab spring to sustain the early gains from the transitions and ensure long-term positive outcomes overall. Emphasis has been put on surfacing novel thought leadership, global best practice, and counsel, which are actionable for decision-makers across the region. The essays in this publication cover the following topics: social innovation and new approaches to the employment challenge, determinants and challenges of the current youth unemployment situation, female economic empowerment, building Arab civil society to promote economic growth, access to credit, the economic agendas of Arab Islamist parties, education for employment, a paradigm shift in government - from creating jobs to enabling job creation, and recent case studies from Tunisia and Iraq. This publication is a great culmination of the work of the 2011 - 2012 Global Agenda Council on the Arab World, a unique group of intellectuals and practitioners committed to improving the state of the region. It follows the earlier Compendium on Economic Governance in the Arab World and feeds into the World Economic Forum’s ongoing regional activities related to the role of large employers in job creation.