Today's Edition
KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI)
A recent report from PWC, a global consulting firm, revealed that young people in the UAE and the broader Middle Eastern region have stronger faith in their government's ability to meet their sustainable development goals (SDG) than the global average.
The 2024 Middle East Youth Outlook found that 65% of young people in the region saw governments as the primary drivers of SDGs and exhibited faith in their government's ability to drive change. This was in strong contrast to only 38% that shared similar perceptions globally, and where NGOs outranked governments as the primary proponents of change.
"The divergence in perceptions between the global and the Middle East findings reflect the region's political and social landscape, where governments have historically played a pivotal role in economic development and social reform, thereby fostering a strong sense of trust among citizens," the report said.
Capturing the view of over 2000 youth across 43 countries, including 810 children and young adults between the ages of 10 to 30 from eight countries in the region, the report found that the youth in the Middle East were highly engaged with SDGs and familiar with their country's direction.
Almost 34% of respondents were "extremely" and "very" familiar with their countries' SDG goals as compared to just 23% globally, highlighting the clarity and strong direction espoused by governments in the region.
The report specifically highlighted UAE initiatives like the UAE Advisory Council on SDGs, which serves as a channel between youth and policymakers as examples of government-led programmes that gave young people the ability to actively shape and be part of their nations SDG journey.
It also highlighted the multitude of ambitious SDG programmes like the UAE Water Aid initiative, the hosting of COP28 in Dubai and the subsequent decarbonisation goals as providing a strong sense of direction. Like their global counterparts, it found that youth in the region prioritised health, education, and water whilst also putting increased emphasis on peace and justice. PWC analysts believe that this reflects a focus on fundamental needs, but also underscores the "importance of peace at a time of geopolitical unrest".
Moreover, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure ranked higher among young people in the Middle East, highlighting the rapidly evolving economic landscape of the region.
PWC once again highlighted the UAE's regional leadership in this area, both as the most innovative Arab country in the region, according to the 2023 Global Innovation Index, but also through its heavy investment in infrastructure and economic diversification away from oil dependence.
The report found that young people in the Middle East were more actively engaged than their global counterparts.
Youth in the region were found to have a smaller "action gap" — the difference between the importance youth respondents placed on the SDG and their actual engagement – which indicated a sense of strong participation among young people. It highlighted the UAE-based "Arab Youth Centre" as another example of institutions that were leading the charge in fostering youth participation.
