Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle East: Advancing Youth Innovation and Development through Better Policies

On April 28, the Middle East Youth Initiative and Silatech discussed a new report titled “Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle East: Toward Sustainable Development for the Next Generation.” The report is the first in-depth study of its kind addressing the state of social entrepreneurship and social investment in the Middle East and its potential for the region’s 110 million youth. The report contains specific recommendations on how the activities of the region’s most promising young social entrepreneurs can be nourished and supported by domestic, regional and international stakeholders.

Building on the momentum generated from the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship, planned for April 26 and 27 in Washington, DC, a panel of experts addressed the potential for social entrepreneurship to contribute to human, and especially youth, development in the region. Kemal Derviş, vice president and director of the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings, provided introductory remarks, followed by Tarik Yousef, Brookings nonresident senior fellow and dean of the Dubai School of Government; Sonal Shah, director of White House Office of Social Innovation; and a panel of experts.

After the program, panelists took audience questions.