Her
Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned has announced the
creation of a new youth employment scheme
to create jobs and
entrepreneurial opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa.
Giving
a keynote address at the First Annual Forum of the
Alliance of
Civilizations in Madrid, Spain, Sheikha Mozah revealed she and the Emir
would initially fund the ground-breaking initiative with a $100m
personal donation.
Called
Silatech, Sheikha Mozah has already secured the support of worldwide
organisations and companies including CISCO, the International Labor
Organisation and the World Bank. �The best counter narrative to the
prevailing tales of clash, violence and despair is action,� Sheikha
Mozah said.
As
part of her initiative, Doha will also host a two-day summit in late
Spring for commercial banks, private equity funds and investors,
corporations, philanthropists, international organisations and youth
leaders to discuss potential strategic partnerships and best practices.
Also on the agenda will be obstacles and opportunities and mapping out
steps to tackling youth unemployment.
Sheikha
Mozah told delegates at the Madrid conference, Silatech (meaning �your
connection� in Arabic) was born from her participation as a member of
the High Level Group of the Alliance of Civilizations.
With
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki moon and the prime ministers of Turkey and
Spain looking on, Sheikha Mozah told the 400 participants at the Forum
that there was an �urgent need� to address the root causes of
hopelessness, frustration and intolerance amongst the world�s youth.
Her Highness said we had �failed� our young
people. �We can transform
this failure into a success story,� she said.
According
to the International Labor Organisation, over the next decade half a
billion young people will enter the labour force. An astounding 85 per
cent of these job seekers will be from the developing world.
�The
situation in the Middle East and North Africa is particularly
alarming,� she said. �To fail these young people would be a terrible
mistake.� Sheikha Mozah said to offset the lack of opportunity and
economic marginalisation, systemic changes and global and national
levels were required.
�Our
mission is all about connection: Connecting young people to employment
and enterprise; connecting young people to each other, to capital, to
industry, to opportunity.�
Sheikha
Mozah said Silatech will use the latest technologies and creative ways
to provide business development services, unlock capital investment in
youth entrepreneurship and connect young people to employers and
training. �There is not a magic pill,� Sheikha Mozah said.
But,
she said Silatech will send a clear message that forms the basis of the
Alliance of Civilizations. �That, by investing in our youth we are
investing in the security and development of our nations and only
secure and confident nations can build alliances based on mutual
respect and common objectives,� Sheikha Mozah said.
Later,
in a panel discussion on �The Alliance of Civilizations: Managing
Diversity in the Era of Globalisation�, Sheikha Mozah said the �time
for action� had come. �It�s time to act. It�s time to prove to our
youth and have real projects on the ground,� she said. �It�s time for
being pragmatic.�
Sheikha
Mozah�s plans for Silatech have been met with support and admiration
from the Arab world and the western world. President of Finland Tarja
Halonen said Sheikha Mozah was a �great woman� who was taking a
leadership role.