A high-level regional meeting on learning, skills development, and youth employment was held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, under the sponsorship of UNICEF, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, and the United Nations Development Programme.
The Lebanese delegation to the conference was led by Ziad Mikati, representing the Prime Minister, and included Dr. Mirna Sabra, representing the Minister of Youth and Sports; Dr. Salem Darwish, representing the Minister of Agriculture; Engineer Deniz Dahrouj, representing the Minister of Labour; Dr. Osama Ghanem, representing the Minister of Education and the General Director of Vocational and Technical Education; General Confederation of Lebanese Workers President Dr. Bashar Asmar; General Director of the Lebanese Industrialists Association Talal Hijazi; Asem Sharif from the Lebanese Association for Studies and Training; and Engineer Farah Ghanem, representing youth in Lebanon.
The delegation's participation came after the Cabinet adopted a youth policy action plan. Discussions and dialogues during the public meetings and side sessions focused on the importance of retaining youth in their countries despite conflicts and wars in the region and their social and economic repercussions. The aim was to find decent job opportunities by linking education to needs, supporting and funding small projects, and establishing permanent social support.
Dr. Ghanem delivered a speech emphasizing commitments related to the action plan on the national youth policy and establishing a national employment policy that considers linking vocational education to the labor market and protecting workers and youth.
Talal Hijazi highlighted the reality in Lebanon and the necessity of supporting it under these difficult conditions by providing training courses in collaboration with international organizations and civil society to create and secure training programs that lead to job opportunities for youth, including those from rural areas, cities, and persons with disabilities, to mitigate brain drain and achieve balanced and sustainable development.
Mikati attended the closed meeting for heads of delegations and representatives of international organizations, where he affirmed Lebanon's commitments regarding the youth policy action plan and called on international organizations to support its implementation across all sectors.
