Sheikha Mozah announces youth employment scheme
Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned has announced the creation of a new youth employment scheme to create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa.
Giving a keynote address at the First Annual Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations in Madrid, Spain, Sheikha Mozah revealed she and the Emir would initially fund the ground-breaking initiative with a $100m personal donation.
Called Silatech, Sheikha Mozah has already secured the support of worldwide organisations and companies including CISCO, the International Labor Organisation and the World Bank. "The best counter narrative to the prevailing tales of clash, violence and despair is action," Sheikha Mozah said.
As part of her initiative, Doha will also host a two-day summit in late Spring for commercial banks, private equity funds and investors, corporations, philanthropists, international organisations and youth leaders to discuss potential strategic partnerships and best practices. Also on the agenda will be obstacles and opportunities and mapping out steps to tackling youth unemployment.
Sheikha Mozah told delegates at the Madrid conference, Silatech (meaning "your connection" in Arabic) was born from her participation as a member of the High Level Group of the Alliance of Civilizations.
With UN Secretary-General Ban Ki moon and the prime ministers of Turkey and Spain looking on, Sheikha Mozah told the 400 participants at the Forum that there was an "urgent need" to address the root causes of hopelessness, frustration and intolerance amongst the world's youth. Her Highness said we had "failed" our young people. "We can transform this failure into a success story," she said.
According to the International Labor Organisation, over the next decade half a billion young people will enter the labour force. An astounding 85 per cent of these job seekers will be from the developing world.
"The situation in the Middle East and North Africa is particularly alarming," she said. "To fail these young people would be a terrible mistake." Sheikha Mozah said to offset the lack of opportunity and economic marginalisation, systemic changes and global and national levels were required.
"Our mission is all about connection: Connecting young people to employment and enterprise; connecting young people to each other, to capital, to industry, to opportunity."
Sheikha Mozah said Silatech will use the latest technologies and creative ways to provide business development services, unlock capital investment in youth entrepreneurship and connect young people to employers and training. "There is not a magic pill," Sheikha Mozah said.
But, she said Silatech will send a clear message that forms the basis of the Alliance of Civilizations. "That, by investing in our youth we are investing in the security and development of our nations and only secure and confident nations can build alliances based on mutual respect and common objectives," Sheikha Mozah said.
Later, in a panel discussion on "The Alliance of Civilizations: Managing Diversity in the Era of Globalisation", Sheikha Mozah said the "time for action" had come. "It's time to act. It's time to prove to our youth and have real projects on the ground," she said. "It's time for being pragmatic."
Sheikha Mozah's plans for Silatech have been met with support and admiration from the Arab world and the western world. President of Finland Tarja Halonen said Sheikha Mozah was a "great woman" who was taking a leadership role.
By Rachel Morris in Madrid
© The Peninsula 2008
