When the most recent Arab Youth Survey found that nearly half of its respondents wanted to start their own businesses within the next five years, it was proof of what many in the Arab world knew already – that its young, energetic population is looking for opportunities to live up to its potential.
Nonetheless, an International Labour Organisation report released this week has recorded an increase in youth unemployment in many Arab states, with eight countries posting higher rates last year than in 2019, despite the global average falling in the same period. The youth unemployment rate in Arab states last year was at 28 per cent, up from 27 per cent in 2019.
Each of these countries faces unique challenges but the persistence of youth unemployment poses an important question: what is standing in so many young Arabs’ way?
The answer is not a lack of ambition. Nor is it necessarily a lack of education or training, although both are important. In fact, education in many Arab states is more accessible than ever, according to the Arab Development Portal, a knowledge platform. Worryingly, the International Monetary Fund has found that unemployment in the Arab world actually tends to increase with schooling, exceeding 15 per cent for those with tertiary education in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia. What too many young Arabs lack is opportunity.
A lack of access to startup capital, with an accompanying lack of support for young entrepreneurs, condemns many to low-skilled, low-paid jobs or, as the ILO has found, no job at all
The reality is that many young people in Arab countries who seek a good job or want to start their own businesses are too often stymied by financial bottlenecks, burdensome bureaucracy, corruption (including nepotism) or – in several countries – war. A lack of access to startup capital, with an accompanying lack of support for young entrepreneurs, condemns many to low-skilled, low-paid jobs or, as the ILO has found, no job at all. According to research from the Brookings Institution “the inability of Mena economies to create enough decent employment opportunities is arguably the most important factor behind the high rates of youth unemployment and joblessness in the region”.
Young Arabs want the chance to work and build for the future. According to World Bank data from last year, the Middle East’s population is growing rapidly and a third of its people are under 15 – this is a huge resource for that more Arab states should be investing in.
That is easier said than done, and there are no easy answers. Some Arab states are stable and resource-rich; others suffer from the effects of current or past armed conflicts, something that deters the international investment that is often critical to creating good opportunities their young people. Youth unemployment has dogged many Arab states for decades.
Nevertheless, economic freedom – that is, opportunity for those who are willing to work in a fair labour market that supports entrepreneurship – is an indispensable part of building and maintaining a modern economy that will help to deliver social cohesion and stability. The proliferation of successful, Arab-led startups in the UAE is just one example of what can be achieved when society nurtures young people’s dreams. The task is to ensure that sense of opportunity knocks across the Arab world.
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
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Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The UAE's journey to space
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
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Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
