Launched in January 2008 by the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and his wife Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned at the First Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Madrid, Silatech is working with partners operating in the MENA region to support innovative and sustainable efforts that provide skills for development, job counseling and placement, and promotion of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME). It has developed a range of projects that seek to address the issue of youth employment on its three key pillars, which are policy, mindset and access.

At the summit, a large number of high-profile participants heard from Her Highness Sheikha Al Missned as she outlined progress that Silatech has achieved over the last year in strengthening its capacity to improve the lives of young people throughout the region. Silatech has built partnerships with leading corporations such as the Pearson Learning Group, Manpower Inc. and Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. (EMSI) as well as local partnerships in several countries in the region including Yemen, Syria and Morocco. Its determination to mobilize the world's leading companies as well as its ability to implement projects locally is unique in tackling the problem of youth unemployment in the MENA region. As a representative of the Moroccan delegation working in conjunction with Silatech said, “It is a real vision that is being transformed into action.”

The summit also heard from Dalia Mogahed, a member of the White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and the executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. She is also an expert for the UNAOC's Global Expert Finder project. Ms. Mogahed presented the findings of the latest research conducted by Gallup, 'The Silatech Index: Voices of Young Arabs', which sought to identify the preferences of Arab youth facing a contracting labor market in their countries. The study showed that more and more young Arabs are looking for jobs outside the public sector, which means they are becoming more entrepreneurial in that regard.

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Links:
Report on the summit in Today's Zaman (Turkey)
Silatech
Silatech Index: Voices of Young Arabs
Dalia Mogahed's profile on Global Expert Finder

Contact:
For more information contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Media Consultant for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.