Solutions that work! Evidence Symposium on Adolescents and Youth in the Middle East and North Africa

The second annual ‘Evidence Symposium on Adolescents and Youth: Solutions that Work!’, held on 25 – 26 September in Beirut, Lebanon, gave young people from all over the Middle East and North Africa the space to share their voices and concerns and the opportunity to question policy makers and present their solutions.

Following the successes of the first evidence symposium in 2017, the MENA UN:NGO Group hosted a second symposium in September 2018. This event, which built on the evidence base established in the 2017 symposium and engage adolescents and youth to identify ways to address issues of employment, engagement, gender and violence in MENA, aimed to collect and share this evidence to inform policy and promote the scale up of good practices to address key issues related to young people in the region.   

In a context of political and social instability, with some of the highest rates of collective violence, highest unemployment rates and lowest level of civic engagement in the world, the Evidence Symposium provided a unique space and opportunity for over 50 young in the region to engage with decision makers and exchange solutions and ideas on the key issues and obstacles they face.

Building on the evidence base established in 2017, adolescent boys and girls, young men and women in the MENA region presented and discussed the latest evidence, particularly on the school-to-work transition, violence prevention, and positive engagement opportunities. Policy makers, donors, practitioners and researchers also shared sustainable and effective solutions with adolescents and youth throughout the Evidence Symposium.

Through the active engagement of young people, and their frank exchange with policy makers, the event is helping to empower young people to become changemakers in their society and economy whilst promoting the scale up of good practices addressing their key obstacles.

For more information on the solutions to Violence Prevention and Education to Employment transition shared in the Evidence Symposium, all presentations can be found on the ESAY 2018 Website or on Facebook.