The Arab Youth Center launches the activities of an exceptional edition of the Arab Meeting for Young Leaders

In the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, and under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office for Development Affairs and Families of Martyrs, President of the Arab Youth Center, the fifth edition of the Arab Youth Leaders Meeting was launched, in a series of dialogue sessions and interactive sessions that reflected the depth and diversity of the Arab youth experience. Its paths, and highlighted pioneering models that were able to transform individual initiatives into sustainable institutional impact in the fields of development, innovation, creative economy, and advanced technologies, leading to scientific impact and creating the future.

In his speech during the opening of the Arab Young Leaders Meeting, Dr. Sultan bin Saif Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Vice President of the Arab Youth Center, said: “The Arab Young Leaders Meeting in its fifth edition represents an advanced stage in the process of joint Arab youth work, and reflects a qualitative transition from focusing on initiatives to consolidating sustainable impact and building institutional legacy.” His Excellency added: “We believe that the presence of Arab youth has become measured by the depth of the impact they achieve, and their ability to transform ideas and visions into business models that contribute to supporting development paths and shaping the future, within a true partnership with decision makers.”

In turn, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, expressed his happiness at participating in this meeting, describing it as a forum that increases in importance year after year, as it works to empower youth, develop their capabilities, and build networks of relationships that expand their positive influence in their surroundings. His Excellency also pointed out that today’s meeting comes amidst rapid transformations, where established rules have become questionable, and stable institutions have become the subject of question and review, at a time when nations are racing to find for themselves a place that guarantees the well-being of their people and security in its comprehensive sense. For its residents.

For her part, Engineer Fatima Al-Halami, Executive Director of the Arab Youth Center, confirmed that the Center has continued, since its establishment, to work on building an integrated Arab system to empower youth, based on directly listening to their priorities and linking their energies to real opportunities in the fields of leadership, innovation and the new economy. During her speech, she also announced the launch of the “Young Arab Leaders in the New Economy Programme,” as one of the strategic initiatives of the Arab Youth Center, with the aim of preparing young leaders capable of understanding economic transformations, anticipating future markets, and leading growth in accordance with the principles of governance and sustainability.

The sessions began within the theme of “Arab Footprint Youth,” focusing on the concept of Arab competitiveness in a changing world, through a visual presentation entitled “Arab Footprint Competitiveness,” which addressed the development of the Arab presence in areas of regional and global influence, and highlighted the transformations led by Arab youth in the fields of knowledge, entrepreneurship, and community work, stressing that the Arab footprint is now based on added value and sustainability, not on temporary initiatives.

Following the video, a session entitled “Where are they now? – Leading Figures in the Arab Youth Center’s Journey” was devoted to highlighting the experiences of the Center’s graduates after they moved to influential positions in their communities. Ahmed Sufyan Bayram, Advisor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Affairs at the Syrian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Mahmoud Abdel Qader, Coordinator and Assistant Researcher at the United Nations Development Programme, and Nadine Khouli, Youth Activities Coordinator at the United Nations Development Programme, participated in the session. During which they discussed their professional paths after and during their journey with the Center, stressing that their participation in the Arab Youth Center’s programs contributed to refining their leadership skills, expanding their development vision, and linking their local experiences to broader regional contexts, which enabled them to contribute effectively in the areas of public policies, community development, and building initiatives with a sustainable impact.

The sessions continued within the youth empowerment theme through the “Youth Able” session, during which Omar Itani, founder and general director of (FabricAID), Lujaina Al-Adwani, CEO of the Nomu Hub platform, and Jane Daoud, founder of the (Peace Therapists) platform, spoke and reflected various models of the ability of Arab youth to make an impact in the fields of entrepreneurship, digital skills, mental health, and digital education. The speakers highlighted their practical experiences in transforming challenges into opportunities, and stressed the importance of investing in human capabilities, building future skills, employing innovative digital solutions to enhance the quality of life, and developing educational and health systems that are more flexible and responsive to the requirements of the times.

After that, the Moroccan artist Ali Al-Madidi presented an artistic interlude, in which he performed a work that was produced specifically for the current edition of the Arab Young Leaders Meeting. It reflected the cultural and creative dimension accompanying the sessions, and contributed to enhancing positive interaction with its contents, embodying the presence of culture and art as an integral part of the integrated Arab impact system.

The activities were completed within the “Global Impact Initiatives” theme, with a session entitled “From Initiative to Legacy – Hope Makers as an Arab Model for Sustainable Impact,” during which Dr. Fawzan Al Khalidi, Director of Initiatives and Programs Department at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, spoke, bringing along Arab models that were able to move from individual initiatives to sustainable impact, while emphasizing that sustainable impact requires clear governance, effective partnerships, and continuous measurement of results, reviewing the experience of “Hope Makers.” As an Arab model, it has succeeded in transforming humanitarian initiatives into an extended institutional legacy.

The audience then went on to attend a visual presentation introducing the recently launched 813 satellite project, and the “Space Hackathon for Arab Youth” was announced, in cooperation with the Emirates Space Agency and the Arab Space Cooperation Group. This was followed by a session entitled: “From Youth Dreams to Space Orbit – An Arab Model for Scientific Impact,” during which Nasser Ahmed Al Rashidi, Director of the National Space Academy, Director of the Space Hackathon Program for Arab Youth, and Sultan Muhammad Al Zaidi, Director of Sponsorship of the Arab Satellite 813 Project – Emirates Space Agency, during which they spoke about the project’s features and scientific dimensions, its role in enabling young Arab competencies to contribute to space programs and advanced scientific research, and the results expected from it in the long term.

The audience then moved on to follow a visual presentation entitled “Network of Hope: From Bahrain to the World,” which reviewed the story of the network’s launch, and how it expanded the scope of its influence globally to include multiple communities, in a vivid example of the ability of Arab initiatives to expand beyond the borders of Arab geography, and the distinctive value that can be created through partnerships and cooperation between Arab youth institutions in developing the youth empowerment system and opening more opportunities for them.

Within the framework of the creative economy, the “Digital Games – Arab Creative Economy” session discussed the growth of the digital economy and the importance of the electronic games sector as a promising field for young people, and how this sector has transformed from a space of individual creativity into a sustainable creative economy. Abdullah Al-Qoud, Director of the Dubai Chamber for the Digital Economy, discussed the opportunities offered by this sector and its role in diversifying the economy and building future jobs, while Mohammed Al-Sheikh, founder and CEO of Games Ventures, reviewed the investment system in electronic games, and the mechanisms for supporting Arab talent and transforming digital creativity into a globally competitive industry, within a dialogue moderated by Mr. Issa Al-Marzouqi.

The sessions were completed with a video presentation entitled “A Parallel World: Digital Universes through Young Arab Eyes,” produced by the Arab Youth Center, which presented a youthful reading of the concept of digital universes, displaying models and ideas that reflect the ability of Arab youth to interact with technical transformations and create innovative content in digital spaces.

The sessions moved on to presenting the four projects participating in the “Arab Youth Hackathon – Electronic Games Edition”, where the participants reviewed their innovative solutions and demonstrated how their ideas were transformed into practical projects with a tangible impact, in addition to announcing the winning team and the support provided to them by the Arab Youth Center, in a clear message of confirmation of the ability of Arab youth to transform innovation into sustainable results that serve their communities.

The meeting activities concluded with a closed ministerial session in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Head of the Ajman Municipality and Planning Department, Vice President of the Arab Youth Center, and Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, along with a number of Arab sports and youth ministers, heads of Arab youth delegations, and a group of influential Arab youth leaders.

The opinions at the ministerial session focused on emphasizing that measuring the real impact of youth initiatives and programs has become an institutional necessity for developing public policies, ensuring efficient channeling of resources, and moving from implementing initiatives to establishing measurable and sustainable results. Participants unanimously agreed on the importance of adopting unified evaluation frameworks, reliable databases, and advanced digital tools that help track the long-term societal and economic impact of youth empowerment initiatives at the national and regional levels.

The session’s outcomes also emphasized the need to enhance the involvement of young people in decision-making through participatory work models that link their needs to policies, and transform their energies into influential contributions in the areas of development and the new economy. The participants stressed the importance of expanding partnerships between governments, the private and third sectors, and exchanging successful Arab experiences, which contributes to building an integrated Arab system that makes youth active partners in shaping the future and creating a sustainable impact.