At the beginning of June, the Swedish Dialogue Institute for the Middle East and North Africa hosted a roundtable discussion on meaningful youth participation in the MENA region. Participants emphasized the importance of expanding civic space, and in particular freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. They further highlighted the need to approach youth participation from a rights-based approach and wider citizenship-angle, to push for legal reform, and to facilitate political participation and access to credible platforms, for instance through the development of reliable and representative political parties and the reduction of the voting age.
Summary:
At the beginning of June, the Swedish Dialogue Institute for the Middle East and North Africa hosted a roundtable discussion on meaningful youth participation in the MENA region. Participants emphasized the importance of expanding civic space, and in particular freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. They further highlighted the need to approach youth participation from a rights-based approach and wider citizenship-angle, to push for legal reform, and to facilitate political participation and access to credible platforms, for instance through the development of reliable and representative political parties and the reduction of the voting age.
They recommended that Sweden and the EU prioritize support that actively enhance young people’s agency and chances for full and equal participation. To optimize the support, they recommended:
- working with local actors (incl. grass root organizations and movements);
- supporting and facilitating safe spaces for dialogue;
- increasing support to international exchanges, incl. support to political education
- focusing on long-term economic commitments; and
- simplifying funding application processes.
Participants also called for “changing perceptions”. Young people should not be seen and treated as “passive” recipients, but rather as active agents of change, with real agency.
On June 2, the Swedish Dialogue Institute for the Middle East and North Africa hosted a roundtable discussion on how to achieve meaningful youth participation in the MENA region. Participants included State Secretary for International Development Janine Alm Ericson, young leaders in the MENA region, and representatives from Arab Reform Initiative, Act Church of Sweden, EEAS, Sida, SI, FBA, and the MFA.
The panel of young leaders consisted of Hala Bugaighis (co-founder, Jusoor Center for Studies and Development), Seif El Khawanky (program officer, Center for International Private Enterpreise), Adam Elsod (co-founder, The Young Republic), Sami Hourani (founder, for9a.com and Leaders of Tomorrow), Hend Mgaieth (executive secretary-general, Socialist Democratic Youth Tunisia), Rebin Najmalddin (founder, Karin Organization), and Rania Sabaayon (executive director, Masar Association and secretary, Youth Forum for Youth Policy). Other speakers included Anna Levin (Act Church of Sweden), Sarah Anne Rennick (Arab Reform Initiative), Kim Zander (Sida, Amman), Maria Henoch (Swedish Institute) and Patrick Costello (EEAS). The discussion was moderated by Charlotta Sparre (director) and Noura Berrouba (programme officer) from the Swedish dialogue institute
Charlotta Sparre introduced the session by pointing to challenges and opportunities for young people in the Middle East and North Africa. Political instability, shrinking civic space as well as multiple and overlapping forms of inequality and discrimination continue to prevent youth from realizing their full potential in the region. Yet, while formal avenues for engagement remain limited, young people are showcasing tremendous efforts in their societies, including in schools, unions, organisations, entrepreneurship, movements, and the civil society.
State Secretary Janine Alm Ericson emphasized the Swedish initiative #DriveForDemocracy, which extends across all aspects of Sweden’s foreign policy, including security, development, and trade policy. The Drive for Democracy includes support to young people and youth organisations, democracy’s institutions, and processes, and to its defenders. She stressed the importance of young people being involved in building for the future. “Intergenerational issues require intergenerational solutions. And intergenerational solutions require that young people’s rights, agency, and participation are ensured.
The discussion started with a question to the participants from the region, on what they considered to be key reforms for advancing meaningful participation of young people. They emphasized the importance of expanding civic space, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, as well as media reforms. They also stressed the need to facilitate political participation and access to credible platforms, for instance through development of reliable and representative political parties and reducing the voting age.
The round table discussion addressed three key themes: a holistic approach to increased agency, through political, social, and economic means; the interaction between politics, influential actors, and civil society; and, finally, how to contribute to the empowerment, engagement, and mobilization of young people.
A holistic approach to increased agency
Speakers recognised the significance of both “top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches in generating greater youth involvement. Young people are eager to “talk, debate, discuss, and influence policies in their countries”. Technology can play a role here, which has been illustrated by the recent “Clubhouse” experience in Libya, where many policy makers have visited the platform, and engaged in conversations with young people. At the same time, caution was expressed about technology as a panacea, given the large technology gaps in the region, as well as risks. As one speaker put it, “More inclusive spaces for youth to meet and exchange ideas are needed, including physical spaces”. In terms of “top-down” engagement, it was suggested that policy makers need to accept the concept of youth mainstreaming, recognize youth, and give them more legitimacy. The speakers pointed to important aspects to consider. These included applying a rights-based approach to participation, clarifying definitions of youth, looking to legal reform, and addressing youth participation from a wider citizenship-angle.
Entrepreneurship was pointed to as a potential tool to help address the social exclusion and high youth unemployment rates that limit young people’s opportunities. Creating an enabling environment where young entrepreneurs can thrive requires a number of institutional reforms, including the right to access the market, understanding and safe-guarding property rights, improving access to finance, reducing bureaucratic obstacles, and making it easier to register businesses. It was however stressed that entrepreneurship was not the solution, only one among several tools.
Another key element highlighted by panellists was education and building capacity of youth. One panellist referred to the classic quote, “Give a person a fish, feed him or her for a day; teach the person how to fish, feed him or her for a lifetime.” The shortcomings of the existing educational systems – which tend to focus too much on theory, and too little on practice – should be addressed by teaching skills such as critical thinking, individual and joint problem-solving as well as team-building, in the opinion of one participant.
Internships were also highlighted as a good tool to make young human capital more likely to find jobs and contribute in their respective societies, as well as internationally. Youth initiatives can serve to involve the young more effectively in society, making them into “agents of change” (it was pointed out that 40 per cent of Iraqi youth are uninterested in participating in public life). Some youth are pushing to play an active role. Some have given up. It is similarly important to respond to both.
The Arab youth diaspora, who often feel alienated from political participation, especially in Europe, where they often experience discrimination and racism, have a potential to contribute more actively both in their new countries of residence and in their countries of origin. They could act as bridge-builders and bring new concepts and energy to the youth movement in MENA. A more educated young population would also lead to increased social accountability, by putting more pressure on the ruling establishment. Diaspora youth could also play a major role in the Swedish/European understanding of the MENA and participate in shaping policies in Europe.
Politics, influential actors, and civil society
With many young people having lost their trust in the political system, participants highlighted the need for political parties to work more diligently in including young people. “Parties have to be serious about engaging them – from a very early point – on policy, politics, and values.” Parties can also benefit from involving youth, who can reflect the hopes and aspirations of the broader population, serve as a source of young leaders and candidates, work the ground well (if empowered), and offer solutions to pressing social issues. Furthermore, parties can learn from civil society organizations, and “adopt an open-minded approach, see differences as something positive, use focus groups and team-building, exchange ideas, and develop political communication and advocacy skills.”
The importance of working patiently with governments and parties to drive change was also emphasized. In Lebanon, for example, it took 12 years to develop a youth policy document that was finally endorsed by the government, after a “lengthy, challenging, but ultimately rewarding” process. Key take-aways included using a bottom-up and issue-based approach, where young people prioritized areas of common interest, building big coalitions, and being simultaneously diplomatic and resilient. Often youth movements will face great heterogeneity, as in the case of Lebanon, where the youth forum included 34 member organizations, from diverse religious, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Empowerment, engagement, and mobilization of young people
In the final part of the discussion, various organizations active in supporting empowerment and mobilization of young people in the Middle East and North Africa provided some insights based on their experiences:
Sarah Anne Rennick, from the Arab Reform Initiative, shared experience from dialogue meetings with Syrian youth, where sometimes participants understood the concepts of peace and security in different ways that the conveners - “they were not speaking the same language”. Moreover, the “safe spaces” created by CSOs and top-down processes were not always considered safe by youth, due to geography or issues around legitimacy. Young people often felt more at ease with spaces they had created themselves, and podcasts and storytelling often contributed greatly to creating trust. The methods used to understand and analyse “youth needs” must also be carefully considered, with qualitative and quantitative methods often reproducing the same results.
Anna Levin from ACT Church of Sweden spoke about the importance of being serious and genuine in the commitment to youth, to help them find their own solutions and authentic voices: “If you support youth to act from a position of their inner strength, they will act from a position of love and healing.” External organisations, such as the Church of Sweden, can serve as a door opener to open spaces for truly honest dialogue, even around potentially sensitive subjects, such as sexuality or feminism.
Kim Zander, from Sida/Amman, pointed out that Sweden wants to ensure that youth have an active voice in decision-making in organisations that are supported. One way to do so is by asking about the average age of the board and management: “Our partners have to ensure that youth are actively involved, and that resources are allocated accordingly.”
Maria Henoch, from SI, shared lessons learned from the various leadership programmes that SI has been running in the region over the past ten plus years, which have resulted in over 700 alumni. She highlighted the enormous commitment and capacity of these young leaders, to drive change in their local communities: “They have a great sense of responsibility, they want to influence, and they are influencing.” Since being a leader can also be exhausting, lonely, and overwhelming, SI has been seeking to create platforms for these young leaders to share knowledge and inspire each other. Henoch added that the Dialogue Institute could complement and reinforce the work of SI, by creating more fora for dialogue between young leaders and decision makers.
Recommendations: how can we best support youth movements?
Participants recommended that Sweden and the EU prioritize support that actively enhance young people’s agency and chances for full and equal participation. Several concrete proposals to optimize Swedish and European support were put forward:
State Secretary Alm Ericson thanked the participants for their valuable input, underlined that youth are both the present and future, encouraged the participants to “keep pushing, keep advocating”, and reminded them that they have an ally in Sweden: “We will continue to advocate for you and your vital work.”
The same was underlined by Patrick Costello, head of the division for democracy and electoral assistance at EEAS, who underlined that there is a growing awareness and interest among EU decision-makers in listening to and engaging with youth. He also stressed the need to work in parallel on pushing for a more enabling and inclusive political environment through a legal lens of voting laws, electoral laws, definitions and the legal right to political participation, and for the creation of platforms to channel young people’s voices.
