Youth Development in the Escwa Region: Statiscal Profiles, National Strategies and Succes Stories

Youth in the Arab countries are the source of wealth and the pillar for development. They represent a great potential for the present and future of society. The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) has focused its work for the biennium 2010-2011 on emphasizing to member countries the importance of designing national policies for youth under the framework of the World Programme of Action for Youth. In that context, ESCWA is pursuing two tracks: one is promoting the World Programme of Action for Youth which is a major step forward at the level of designing policies targeted at youth; the other is enhancing national capacities of member countries by raising awareness of their staff on their role in policymaking and enabling them technically and practically to formulate policies which respond to the youth needs and take into consideration all youth groups and their social components.