50% of Lebanese graduates intent to emigrate for work

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) warned in its report issued on Tuesday that the continuous marginalization of the Arab youth threatens to undermine development efforts in the region. The UN Arab Human Development report for 2016, ‘Youth and Prospects for Human Development in a Changing Reality’ has shown a brazen absence of genuine dialogue or partnership between the youth and the ruling authorities to the end of devising new policies that meet youth aspirations. According to the report which was launched at the American University of Beirut (AUB), the young generation (between 15 and 29 years) represents about 30% of the population of the Arab world. In the Lebanese section, UNDP Resident Representative, Philippe Lazzarini, pointed out that Lebanon embraces nearly 1.1 million young people (aged between 15-24 years) who are of Palestinian or Syrian origin, adding that economic and security instability has great impact on the youth in the country. Lazzarini drew attention to the rate of unemployment, 26% of which is among the group of young people, linking the current crisis to the unresolved Syrian refuge dilemma. The latest statistics, he said, have shown that one third of displaced Syrians (between 19 and 24 years) have returned to their homes after being exposed to forms of violence and due to jobs scarcity. For his part, the head of the research team contributing to the above report, Dr. Jad Shaaban, conveyed to An Nahar newspaper an alarming fact, which is that nearly 50% of college graduates opt to leave the country for work in the Arab Gulf, as first choice, or to Europe, as a second option. (Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, November 30, 2016)