On February 23 and 24, 2007, the Middle East Youth Initiative hosted a forum in Dubai with policy makers, academics and development practitioners to discuss the development of a research agenda aimed at promoting the inclusion of young people in economic and social life. This forum – Youth Exclusion in the Middle East: Towards New Knowledge and Solutions – launched a process for creating a new regional agenda to develop more effective policies and programs targeted at creating pathways to economic and social inclusion for young people.