{"id":2183,"date":"2024-11-12T13:13:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T12:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfam.dk\/en\/?post_type=projekter&p=2183"},"modified":"2025-08-25T10:30:58","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T08:30:58","slug":"youth-participation-and-employment","status":"publish","type":"projekter","link":"https:\/\/oxfam.dk\/en\/projects\/youth-participation-and-employment\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth Participation and Employment in the Middle East and North Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Youth Participation and Employment in the Middle East and North Africa<\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The unemployment rate in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the highest in the world and is largely a youth phenomenon. Unemployment has far-reaching consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the societal level, a lack of opportunities generates social stigma and prevents the positive development of a community. Individually, it results in frustration, low self-esteem and apathy among the unemployed, increasing the risk of social unrest and conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, studies show that a lack of employment opportunities leads to a brain drain as young people look abroad to the Gulf countries and Europe. If the countries of the MENA region succeed in creating a dignified life and meaningful employment for the large youth population, they could experience increased growth, greater social cohesion, more people contributing to and influencing communities, and increased stability – just as young people want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The programme was part of the Danish-Arab Partnership Program (DAPP) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. DAPP’s vision is to promote a democratic, prosperous and stable MENA region (Middle East and North Africa).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative was organized into five thematic areas, with a variety of organization or consortium as a partner: Kvinfo focused on equality, IMS on media, DIGNITY on human rights, a consortium including DI and LO\/FTF on labor market development and the African Development Bank on entrepreneurship, while Oxfam Denmark led the work on youth and job creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oxfam Denmark reached young men and women aged 18-30 across diverse regions and educational backgrounds to create a minimum of 10,000 job opportunities for themselves. Our ways of working towards the goals were to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n