Time & Date of Event 

11:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Monday, 14th of November 2022 

Event Overview 

Youth unemployment and a lack of economic opportunities for young and growing populations is a key policy challenges and a risk to political and social stability in the Middle East and North Africa. In addition to high youth unemployment rates, the effects of climate change in the region will hinder economic growth. Therefore, the young generation in the region has to face two burdens at the same time: unemployment and climate change. In order to address this ever-growing challenge, now is the time to engage the youth, promote concepts like ‘green economy’ and ‘green entrepreneurship’ among start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Even though the green innovation culture in MENA countries is still new, there is great potential for it to thrive. Engaging the youth in this process is indispensable in order to examine what the needs and main barriers they are facing currently are. 

This Side Event, proposed here, builds on the lessons learned from the Tafahum wa Tabadul project; CARPO and GRC have been running since 2018. Within this project, different actors such as government officials, academics, and experts, as well as civil society actors, are involved on different levels and in different fields with the aim of creating a political climate conducive to regional cooperation. Our proposed workshop will build on the knowledge that has already been gained through the multi-level approach of the Tafahum wa Tabadul project and through working together with regional stakeholders on the experts' level (track 2). The region relevant for the project includes the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Iran, Iraq, and Yemen.  

Our Side Event will explore the role of start-ups, innovative and disruptive technologies in the context of a Climate-Energy-Health-Nexus, to call on governments and the private sector to bring attention to the key role of youth as drivers of sustainability in West Asia and the Arabian Peninsula (WAAP).

Event Outcomes 

The Side Event will seek to connect young entrepreneurs and environmental health scientists, and economists from different parts of the MENA region, illustrating that engagement must come from both high-level representatives and grassroots movements alike. The goal of this session is to highlight the potential of young green entrepreneurs to create a sustainable future for future generations. The session will also address what is currently missing to tap the potential of green entrepreneurs to stop particularly pressing issues such as pollution with innovative solutions.  In a panel discussion, Tafahum participants will describe previous findings illuminating a climate-energy-health nexus and reveal meaningful innovation gaps that can be seen as an entry point for young entrepreneurs. In this way, we aim to facilitate exchange between young entrepreneurs and experts (track 2) and reach out across tracks to the political level (track 1/ 1.5) in order to raise awareness about the areas in which young entrepreneurs need to develop meaningful solutions for in the region and fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our aim is to address the importance of focusing policies and investments on youth empowerment to promote innovative solutions to climate change in the long term. 

Objectives : 

1. Sharing the lessons learned from past Tafahum workshops. 
2. Agreeing on the key components with which young green entrepreneurship can create a safer, more resilient, and sustainable regional growth 

Outcomes: 

1. Presenting insides Tafahum (with a focus on Decarbonization/Green projects and pollution) 
2. Insides of needs for young green entrepreneurs  
3. Some key aspects will be included in further Tafahum workshops