Saudi Arabia champions youth empowerment at UN
Saudi Arabia used the global stage to press for long-term, youth-centered policymaking, with Economy and Planning Minister Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim telling world leaders at the 80th UN General Assembly that young people are “key” to achieving sustainable development. Speaking during the 30th anniversary commemoration of the World Program of Action for Youth, he urged governments to involve, invest in, and rely on youth today to secure the future.
“Involve youth, invest in them, and depend on them”
Al-Ibrahim framed youth as the world’s principal lever for long-term progress. “In a world where many struggle to embrace long-term vision, youth remains the key factor,” he said, adding: “They possess the future more than we ever will. The lessons from our experiences are clear: involve youth, invest in them, and depend on them today.”
The minister credited Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s approach as an example of youth-driven leadership, arguing that effective leadership—not sheer population size—determines whether countries convert demographic momentum into real-world results. He cited Saudi Vision 2030 as “the best model of long-term planning and sustainable implementation,” pointing to how the program channels youth energy and ambition into measurable national progress.
Demographics vs. reality: a widening gap
While nearly half of the global population is under 30, Al-Ibrahim noted that youth unemployment remains roughly triple the adult rate, and millions of young people fall outside formal education, training, and employment systems. That mismatch—between a youthful world and the scarcity of pathways into productive work—poses a structural risk to global stability and growth.
His warning was stark: collective action will determine whether current demographic trends become “opportunities that bear fruit or burdens that weigh down the entire global system.”
Tech lens: skills, jobs, and inclusive growth
From a technology and innovation perspective, the message lands at a critical moment. As economies digitize and automate, the premium on future-ready skills—data literacy, software development, AI fluency, cybersecurity, green tech—continues to rise. Youth are often closest to these frontiers but need scalable access to quality education, apprenticeship pipelines, entrepreneurship support, and capital to translate potential into productivity.
Al-Ibrahim’s emphasis on leadership and long-range planning resonates with what the tech sector has learned over the past decade: transformation doesn’t happen organically. It takes coordinated policy, public–private partnerships, and consistent investment in human capital to create jobs that keep pace with innovation. Vision 2030’s focus on diversification and capability-building offers a case study in how national strategies can align education, labor markets, and industrial policy to create youth opportunities at scale.
What effective youth strategies look like
- Skills pipelines with measurable outcomes: Integrate industry-backed curricula, apprenticeships, and credentials that translate directly into employment in high-demand sectors.
- Entrepreneurship ecosystems: Reduce barriers to starting and scaling companies through access to seed funding, regulatory sandboxes, and mentorship networks.
- Targeted inclusion: Bring in youth who are outside education, training, and work through flexible programs, digital access, and localized support.
- Public–private coalitions: Align government investment with private sector demand to ensure training leads to real jobs, not just certificates.
- Long-term governance: Set clear goals, fund them predictably, and publish transparent progress metrics to maintain accountability across political cycles.
The takeaway
Al-Ibrahim’s intervention at the UN underscores a simple but urgent equation: the world’s youngest generations are its greatest asset, but only if systems are designed to include them. With youth unemployment outpacing adult joblessness and millions disconnected from education and training, the difference between a demographic dividend and a drag will be determined by leadership and investment choices made now.
Saudi Arabia’s pitch, anchored in Vision 2030, is that intentional, youth-first planning can convert demographic potential into sustainable, tech-enabled growth. For policymakers, investors, and educators, the call to action is clear: build the bridges—skills, jobs, capital, and governance—that let the world’s young people shape the future they already own.
