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Job security. Corruption and bad governance. Climate change. Entrepreneurship. Human rights. Through a vast field of areas, the conference intends to shed light on ongoing challenges, but equally important, panelists and participants will discuss potentials for building better lives for young people in the Middle East and North Africa.
During the course of two days, scholars, young people, and practitioners from Middle Eastern and European universities, think tanks, and organisations will contribute their thoughts, experiences, and analyses on the current situation in terms of human development for the Arab youth and what prospects the future holds.
Background and context
In 2002, UNDP published its first Arab Human Development Report, Creating Opportunities for Future Generations. The report identified major development challenges for the 22 members of the Arab League, written by leading Arab researchers. It was the first of its kind and helped shape many bilateral partnership programmes between EU countries and countries in the MENA region. One such bilateral partnership is the Danish–Arab Partnership Programme (DAPP) launched in 2003.
This summer, as the UNDP report marks its 20th anniversary, DAPP transitions to a new phase. The coincidence of the two occasions has inspired the Centre for Modern Middle East and Muslim Studies at the University of Southern Denmark to put together a conference where Arab and international thinkers, young people, and practitioners share their thoughts, analyses, and observations on the current state of human development in the Arab region and on what challenges, risks, and potentials they see for the region’s young population in the years ahead.
The conference is organised in cooperation with the Danish Institute for International Studies; the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen; the Islamic Cultures and Societies Research Unit, School of Culture and Society, University of Aarhus; the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the Danish–Arab Partnership Programme’s Communications Unit.
Focus areas
With past development in the Arab world as a starting point, the conference aims to discuss the challenges, risks, and possibilities concerned with building better lives for the Arab youth. It touches upon a variety of different areas within the scope of the two overall themes of the new DAPP programme, namely Employment and Entrepreneurship, and Human Rights and Inclusion. Both themes will be discussed in the context of four countries: Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia.
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Programme:
Wednesday 11 May
12.00-13.00 Registration – Light Lunch (to be served outside the conference room)
13.00-13.30 Welcoming Remarks and Introduction
Jens Ringsmose, Vice Chancellor, University of Southern Denmark
Thea Lund Christiansen, Chief Advisor & Team Leader, Danish-Arab Partnership Programme, MENA. Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
13.30-15.00 Assessing Transformation Processes in the MENA
Analyses of transformation processes in the Middle East with a focus on Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia
Moderator: Peter Seeberg, Dr., Centre for Modern Middle East and Muslim Studies, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Panel:
Tamirace Fakhoury, Dr., Associate Professor, Department of Politics and Society, University of Aalborg, Denmark/Lebanon:
Youth contentious politics and the Arab uprisings wave: Insights from Lebanon
Jan Völkel, Dr., Abroad and BTI Regional Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Germany: Reautocratisation in the Middle East & North Africa: Democracy and Political Change in the Arab World Ten Years after the Arab Spring
15.00-15.30 Coffee Break
15.30-17.30 Challenges, Risks, and Opportunities
Discussions of the lack of political legitimacy and change, transparency and corruption, climate change and environment, migration and refugees
Moderator: Lars Erslev Andersen, Senior Researcher, Danish Institute for International Studies, Denmark
Panel:
Marwan Muasher, Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA:
From Revolt to Renewal: Challenges the Arab World Needs to Address
Julie Trottier, Directrice de Recherche, French National Centre for Scientific Research, France:
Rethinking water use efficiency in the Arab World: Juggling agriculture, development, and biodiversity in the 21st Century
Ninna Nyberg Sørensen, Senior Researcher, Head of Unit, Danish Institute for International Studies, Denmark:
Making migration work for development – or using development aid for migration prevention purposes?
Fanar Haddad, Dr., Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark/Iraq:
Iraq’s political system: The resilience of dysfunction and the prospects for change
Thursday 12 May
9.00-10.00 Registration – Coffee and Tea
10.00-10.10 Opening Remarks
Jeppe Kofod, Foreign Minister, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
10.10-10.20 Q&A Session
Thea Lund Christiansen, Chief Advisor & Team Leader, Danish-Arab Partnership Programme, MENA. Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Moderator: Sanne Gram, Editor of Foreign Affairs, Danish Broadcasting Corporation
10.20-10.30 Sustainable Human Development in MENA Region
Keynote speech by Khalida Bouzar, Dr., Director, UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States
Moderator: Sanne Gram, Editor of Foreign Affairs, Danish Broadcasting Corporation
10.30-12.00 Panel Discussion: Possibilities for Youth in the MENA Region
The panel will discuss reform policies, sustainable approaches, and innovative initiatives aimed at improving young people’s lives in the Middle East
Moderator: Sanne Gram, Editor of Foreign Affairs, Danish Broadcasting Corporation
Panel:
Khalida Bouzar, Dr., Director, UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States
Marwan Muasher, Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA
Sami Hourani, Chief Executive Officer, Leaders of Tomorrow, Jordan
Nada Diouri, Social Entrepreneur, Morocco
Mira Maged, Youth Representative from Egypt
12.00-13.00 Lunch
13.00-15.00 Employment and Entrepreneurship
Discussions of policies and initiatives aimed at enhancing employability and engagement in entrepreneurship among young people in the MENA region
Moderator: Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen, Professor, Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Panel:
Reham Rizk, Associate Professor, Universities of Canada, Egypt:
The promise and the peril of entrepreneurship in the MENA pre and post the COVID-19 outbreak
Ragui Assaad, Professor, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, USA:
Youth Employment in MENA: What Is the Potential Role of Entrepreneurship? A Focus on Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia
Bjarne Palstrøm, Senior Advisor, Confederation of Danish Industry, Denmark:
The Double Promise of Skilled Labour
Noomen Lahimer, Dr., Consultant, Founder of Evey Technologies, Mediterranean School of Business, Tunisia:
Entrepreneurship in Tunisia: A Movement of Freedom
Mohammad Alomari, Country Manager, GAME Jordan
15.00-15.30 Coffee Break
15.30-17.30 Human Rights and Inclusion in the MENA Region
With youth as its main focus, this panel will discuss ways to promote and protect human rights and to develop initiatives enhancing inclusion
Moderator: Mark Sedgwick, Professor, Islamic Cultures and Societies Research Unit, School of Culture and Society, University of Aarhus, Denmark
Panel:
Yousra Abourabi, Associate Professor, Université Internationale de Rabat, Morocco:
Ecology and human rights in Morocco: The creation of new local epistemic communities
Arwa Shobaki, Managing Director, Project on Middle East Democracy, USA:
Human rights in Jordan. What has and has not changed over the past 20 years and what does this mean for the future?
Eva Grambye, Deputy Executive Director, International Division, Danish Institute for Human Rights, Denmark:
Can human rights help (re)build youth’s trust in government? – Why state actors should engage with youth in the MENA region
Farah Halasa, Youth representative from Jordan
Oumayma Jabnouni, Youth representative from Tunisia (tbc)
Sari Bakir Sabatin, Youth representative from Jordan (tbc)
17.30-17.45 Closing Remarks
Representative, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Practical organisers:
Peter Seeberg, Centre for Modern Middle East and Muslim Studies, University of Southern Denmark
Nidal Abu Arif, Danish–Arab Partnership Programme, Communications Unit, Danish Institute for International Studies
