The Rome MED initiative has established a community of MED Young Leaders to bring together fresh new voices from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. In preparation for the Youth Forum at Rome MED 2018, the MED Young Leaders community will meet in Istanbul on June 25-26 for an event co-organized with the Al-Sharq Forum. The event will gather over 30 young experts from almost 20 countries to discuss critical issues regarding youth in the region.

A closed-door workshop will be held on the first day (June 25). Experts will investigate structural factors that constrain youth participation in MENA societies, as well as analyze possible ways to overcome these obstacles. In particular, the first session will focus on the engagement, activism and mobilization of the youth in politics and civil society; the second will explore young people’s potential in developing new economic models in the MENA region.

A public event, focused on “Regional Security Dialogue in the MENA Region: a Youth Perspective”, will be held the day after (June 26) as a follow-up to the workshop. Here the MED Young Leaders will have the opportunity to discuss the role of regional powers and alliances in shaping the course of events in the region, as well as to present their perspectives on how to construct a security dialogue to a broader public.

BY INVITATION ONLY