Arab Youth: A Look at the Future

Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 represent nearly one-fifth of the population of the Middle East and North Africa. This group has played a central role in shaking up the old order, and while so far they have not been able to shape the policies of the new regimes, it remains key to the outcome of transitions in the region. A Generation on the Move, a study cosponsored by The Issam Fares Institute at the American University in Beirut and UNICEF, offers important insights on the aspirations and problems of Arab youth. The study includes polling data that reveals further information about this demographic. Thursday, October 11 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington Speakers Rami George Khouri, an internationally syndicated political columnist and book author, is the first director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University in Beirut. He also serves as a nonresident senior fellow at the Kennedy School of Harvard University and the Dubai School of Government. Dalia Mogahed is senior analyst and executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. She is co-author with John L. Esposito of Who Speaks for Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think. She was selected as an advisor by President Barack Obama for the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Vivian Mercedes Lopez is the regional advisor for Adolescent Development and Participation at the UNICEF Middle East and North Africa regional office. Prior to moving to Amman, Jordan, she served as the HIV/AIDS regional advisor for UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean from 2002 to 2009. She is currently a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Youth Unemployment. Moderator Marina Ottaway works on issues of political transformation in the Middle East and Gulf security. A long-time analyst of the formation and transformation of political systems, she has also written on political reconstruction in Iraq, the Balkans, and African countries. For more information please contact Tiffany Tupper at ttupper@ceip.org or 202.939.2212