Youth and Development in the Arab Countries: The Need for a Different Approach

Arab countries are currently faced with the highest youth cohort in their modern history. Arab youth are not only more numerous, but they are also more educated and marrying at a later age than before. One in each three young Arab persons is unemployed, and gender bias against young women's university enrolment and labour participation is pervasive. Against a backdrop of rising frustration among their youth, Arab policymakers need to act quickly. A revision of the social and economic contract towards more and better provision of public goods is central to addressing the challenges faced by the Arab youth.