News

AMMAN ------ August 26, 2015-------HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, president of the Economic Policy Development Forum (EPDF) launched "the Youth Forum for Policy Development" as one of the EPDF's initiatives in the presence of Mr. Ahmed Al-Hindawi, the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth and a host of members of the Forum, the Executive and presidential committee, as well as many interested and concerned bodies and institutions in addition to the media.

HE Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated that the launch of this Forum stems from the parameters and goals on which the EPDF was based on since its foundation as the youth component as an essential driving force for economy development, and its contribution to the Forum constitutes the instrument, the engine and the first product of its activities under the guidance and advice of its expert members.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh indicated that this initiative aims at reviving the role of the Youth and sensitize them towards achieving the objectives of the Forum, moving forward in the service of the best interests of the country and its economy, while stressing the need for the Forum to give due attention not only to the youth, but also to children who are the future in all aspects, hence; the Forum is envisaged to be the venue for the artistic, intellectual and economic meetings and activities of school, institutes and university students, and shall become the reference for research, development, studies and networking with various local community initiatives.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh pointed out that this Forum seeks to constitute a pool of various bodies, associations and institutions concerned with youth, so as to have everybody under one umbrella to unify efforts and come out later with effective results to realize the ultimate goal of creating a platform.

For his part, Mr. Al-Hindawiconfirmed the importance of launching this Forum and the importance of the role it seeks to achieve, stressing on the fact that this Forum is focusing on one of the most important and eminent issues that preoccupies the people of the world.

He revealed that the economic reality is too difficult and the security conditions surrounding the Kingdom require the presence of such platform to propose solutions that will consequently lead to developing the economic process and make use of the energies of the Youth and their experience and developing them.

He stressed the importance of the presence of programs and proposals for the harmonization between the education outputs and needs of the labor market, especially in view of the increasing education rates within the Kingdom, especially among the females and the high rate of unemployment at the same time, which would require a set of new and effective proposals to solve this problem, which is continuously exacerbating.

He pointed out that the creation of this Forum is of critical importance at this specific time so as to benefit from the population opportunity within the Kingdom to the highest extent, as the population opportunity - if not used - the problems of poverty and unemployment will later exacerbate in a manner that will be difficult to control.

Meanwhile, Mr. Fadi Al-Daoud, director of the Youth F