Doha: Silatech has launched a powerful youth dialogue series at the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly that will help youth turn challenges into opportunities within an economic development context and through employment creation in the Middle East, North Africa region and beyond.
Within the event framework, a partnership agreement has been announced between Silatech and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). It will further create socio- economic opportunities for unemployed youth in MENA.
The partnership will launch a program together with Education for Employment Foundation (EFE) in Morocco, aiming to connect youth with decent employment. Silatech and BMGF will continue to explore interventions to advance employment opportunities in other countries in the region.
A key component of the initiative is highlighting the importance and urgency of promoting youth re-skilling and capacity building to achieve decent employment for young men and women among diverse industry sectors.
The inaugural Silatech Youth Dialogue Series, UNGA Edition held with the participation of Generation Unlimited, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the UN, was themed “The Role of Youth Socio-Economic Empowerment in Achieving Global Resilience in the COVID-19 era.”
Ambassador H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed Al Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the UN, said, “The COVID- 19 pandemic has had a serious impact on young workers and those transitioning to employment, particularly young women. Qatar based organizations are actively working to provide youth with the necessary skills and connecting them from learning to employment.”
Hassan Ali AlMulla, CEO Silatech, said: “The instability of the economic landscape continues to place marginalized youth at greater risk of forced displacement, thereby inhibiting their capabilities to achieve their full potential. They are the evolutionary catalyst that fuels change to a better future, and therefore our collaborative efforts are crucial to navigate this paradigm shift in the post-COVID - 19 marketplace.”
Hassan Damluji, Deputy Director - Middle East and East Asia, at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said: “COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on young people around the world, making it harder for them to access and ramp up the skills they need to build their livelihoods. This is why we are proud to work alongside Silatech to help create opportunities for the youth in Morocco, a country where 30 percent of the population is under the age of 15.”
