Point of View

Navtej Dhillon, Director of the Middle East Youth Initiative, interviews Edward Sayre on the viability of the Palestinian economy in light of the current crisis in Gaza. Sayre is the co-author of a forthcoming Middle East Youth Initiative working paper on demographics and the economy in the West Bank and Gaza, and currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the Middle East Economic Association. A transcript of their conversation follows.

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.

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.

Sarah Zaaimi joins us as a Youth Ambassador from Morocco, where she is a master's degree candidate in international studies and diplomacy at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane.

Radwan Wetti joins us as a Youth Ambassador from Damascus, Syria, where he is a Business Experience Program Manager for the SHABAB Project at the Syria Trust for Development.