Point of View

Navtej Dhillon and Diana Greenwald argue that, despite a difficult political climate, the 'Union for the Mediterranean' can exceed expectations by convening European and Arab leaders around a pressing and shared interest: the need to improve economic outcomes for millions of young people in the broader Middle East.

MEYI’s Youth Ambassador Think Tank is a forum to encourage active discussion on topics of timely relevance to Middle Eastern youth. Our second topic deals with regional reactions to the upcoming U.S. elections.

Samar Mezghanni joins us as a Youth Ambassador from Tunis, Tunisia, where she is currently studying psychology at the High Institute of Human Sciences in Tunis.

Samar Mezghanni joins us as a Youth Ambassador from Tunis, Tunisia, where she is currently studying psychology at the High Institute of Human Sciences in Tunis.

MEYI is launching the Youth Ambassador Think Tank: a forum to encourage active discussion on topics of timely relevance to Middle Eastern youth. Our first topic deals with concepts of participation and the "generation gap."

Joulan Abdulkhalek is our Youth Ambassador from Beirut, Lebanon, where he is obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut (AUB).

Navtej Dhillon, Jad Chaaban, and Tarik Yousef share findings on the staggering costs of youth unemployment and youth exclusion, noting that the combined costs of youth unemployment for 11 countries in the Middle East region can reach as much as $25 billion a year, or 2.3% of the region’s GDP. These costs emphasize the urgent need for institutional and programmatic reform to invest more in the young people as assets for the region's growth.

MEYI Director and Fellow Navtej Dhillon and MEYI Research Assistant Amina Fahmy reflect on urbanization in the region and how city-to-city collaboration on urban development can help improve the lives of young people.