Intergovernmental Meeting of Experts to Discuss Youth Employment in North Africa

1 September 2017
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United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Addis Ababa)

Rabat — The ECA Office for North Africa will hold, its 32nd Intergovernmental Committee of Experts and an Expert Group Meeting on "Youth Employment and Sustainable Development in North Africa" on 3-6 October 2017 in Rabat (Morocco).

The Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) is a statutory body of the ECA Office in North Africa. Its meeting on 3-6 October will allow member country representatives from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia and Sudan to assess the work carried out by the Office. They will also outline ECA's work programme and strategic orientations in North Africa. Recommendations presented at this meeting will be submitted to the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, a deliberative body of the ECA.

The Expert Group Meeting (EGM) scheduled on 3-4 October will study challenges youths find on their paths when looking for employment on the one hand and existing youth employment policies that present opportunities on the other hand. Participants will also examine a draft study on good practices used to promote sustainable youth employment and youth empowerment in North Africa.

According to UN statistics, in 2015 30% of the world population, i.e. 1.2 billion individuals, were youths aged between 15 and 24. In Africa where experts expect the number of youths to increase throughout the 21st century and especially in low or middle-income countries, they were 226 million youths in 2015 and should become 321 million as early as 2030. When deprived of opportunities, numerous youth populations may become a source of social tensions with significant economic and social consequences that could impact growth. However, if well managed, numerous youth populations can become instead key drivers of growth. Africa therefore needs to use innovative approaches to manage this trend in the best possible way.

Participants at the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts and the Experts Group Meeting will include representatives from ministries, administrations and national institutions from around North Africa, the Arab Maghreb Union, the United Nations and other inter-governmental organisations. Attendees will also include private sector and civil society representatives, universities, research centres and other development partners based in North Africa. Participants will analyse North Africa's macro-economic and social context and make recommendations to support sustainable and inclusive development, structural transformation and regional integration in North Africa.

Note to the editors

Due to the limited number of available seats, the ECA team in North Africa would be grateful if journalists could contact the communication team to request their entry badges as soon as possible (deadline: 29 September 2017). The event will start on 3 October 2017 at 8:30.

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is one of the five regional commissions of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). ECA's office in North Africa supports the sub-region's development by helping its countries (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia and Sudan) formulate and apply policies and programs to achieve economic and social transformation.

For more information about these events, please visit: https://www.uneca.org/events

Communication Team

Economic Commission for Africa

Office for North Africa

Tel: +212 (0) 537 548 749

Email: filali-ansary@un.org;cea.an.coms@gmail.com

Read the original article on UNECA.

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