The strongest weapon in the fight against poverty is improving a country’s basic health and education. Unlike many developing countries, the Middle East has made great strides on this front. Over the last 20 years, Middle Eastern countries have made investments that have expanded education and health and that have significantly reduced poverty. In fact, during this period the Middle East increased primary and secondary educational attainment faster than all the world’s developing regions.
Now the region faces a new development challenge: how to create economic and social opportunities for young citizens that are commensurate with their education and expectations. This is the challenge of youth inclusion, defined as the provision of opportunities that enable youth to fully participate in normatively prescribed roles and activities. These include receiving quality education, decent employment, affordable housing and the power to shape their communities.
The time to unleash the development potential of young people is now. As the next section on the demographic dividend illustrates, the region faces an unprecedented youth bulge. Over 100 million youth between 15 and 29 years old now represent 30 percent of the region’s total population. The many aspirations and goals of young people are conveyed in the section “The Rising Tide of Expectations” and in the five stories from across the region (Box 3). They want to be educated and employed, and they want to utilize their skills to become productive workers, family heads and active citizens. Ultimately the way young people navigate their prime years will largely determine the future of the Middle East.