Yemen Youth Voices

"Young people are the Future. They are also the Present"
–World Bank President James Wolfensohn

The majority of the world's people are under the age of 25, with a disproportionate number living in the world's poorest countries.

To change this imbalance, the world needs your input, your understanding, your involvement. Together, we face many challenges, including finding and ensuring fair distribution of resources to:

• Reduce poverty
• Improve nutrition
• Increase access to schools and other education opportunities
• Strengthen youth organizations
• Promote youth participation and representation in government & civil service
• Improve health education
• Increase employment opportunities
• Decrease national and regional conflicts
• Decrease risky behavior like drug abuse that can lead to an increase in the number of HIV infected people

The World Bank will work in an integrated way to meet the challenges of young people in developing countries. This means not only working in the area of health and education, but also in areas like agriculture, business development and the reform of the justice system to make sure that views of and challenges for young people are included when decisions are made.

Yemen Youth Voices

What risks do children and youth face in a region as volatile as the Middle East and North Africa?  What opportunities do they have?  How do constant conflict affected young minds think?  How can the World Bank help them?

These questions are the backdrop for the Bank’s work on children and young people in the Middle East and North Africa region, particularly those who are vulnerable. 

More than a half of the region’s population is under the age of 25.  Conflict or economic downturn in on country regularly isolates the region from the rest of the world, arresting trade, investment and tourism flow.  He number of poor people increases, and more children and youth fall through the cracks.  At a very young age, children end up on the streets and in labor markets without education and training.

Taking care of children and youth, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged is necessary for economic, social and political well-being.

As an institution that undertakes development in a comprehensive manner, the Bank has become a valuable partner who can help countries design an adequate children and youth strategy.  Improving their condition is more complex than a simple focus on education, health, or another sector tackled in isolation from the rest.

In cooperation with several governments, the Bank is preparing a regional study on children and youth that will define the magnitude of the problem, analyze activities already in place and point out gaps where more work is needed.  The paper is based on national studies in Morocco, Egypt, Yemen and Jordan, and grew out of a workshop held in June 2003 on the needs of disadvantaged children.

The Bank is working to weave in the focus on children and youth into all projects.  Making this a standard features in project design will ensure that all subsequent initiatives conscientiously consider hoe their outcomes will affect and benefit children and youth.

For example, the focus of the Second Basic Education Project in Yemen is to provide learning opportunities for working children by finding options that will not compromise their income opportunity. 

The World Bank in Yemen introduced the Yemen Youth Voices program in 2003.  The Youth Voices program will focus on training and participation in policy and program development. For example, youth assistance with the Vocational Training Strategy will help to accurately reflect the challenges faced by young people attempting to enter into higher education and/or labor market. Youth participation will also be sought in the development of the National Plan for Children and Youth. The Yemen program is working on a study tour of Egypt so program participants can share experiences, facilitate learning from each other's work, and build regional partnerships.

The World Bank encourages youth from all over Yemen to apply for its Youth Voices program.

To apply to the Youth Voices Program, please download and fill out the forms below. Completed application forms should be faxed to (967-1) 413 709 / 418 733 or email to PICYemen@WorldBank.org:

WB Youth Registration Form (English)

Challenges for Youth in Middle East & North Africa

• Gender Issues: Women's & Men's Roles
• Lack of employment
• Vocational training
• Several countries in active or recent conflict
• Democracy, social development and participation

“We need to recognize that Youth has a role to fulfill.   We need to give responsibility and opportunity to young leaderships so they can, actually, help to build the world that they desire”  
–World Bank President James Wolfensohn