The Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises (BUSINESSMED), represented by its Secretary General, Mrs. Jihen Boutiba Mrad, took part in the debate focusing on the common solutions created by and for civil society for the employability of young people on June 7th and 8th 2017, in Brussels, within the European Development Days (EDD2017).

This meeting is part of the previous actions carried out by the European Commission, and the Civil Society Forum-Neighborhood South which was held in Tunis from 25 to 27 April 2017 and which resulted in some final recommendations concerning concrete actions and follow-up tools around the following 4 priority cases: youth challenges and employability; business and social work; productivity to enhance employability, job creation and economic and sustainable development in the region. These priorities were discussed during a consultation organised by EU Neighbourhood & Enlargement for the presentation of a draft Outline for the ENI South Regional Strategy on June 7th 2017.

The meeting brought together key actors from civil society, the private sector and government to discuss youth employability issues in the neighborhood south with a focus on promoting and enhancing vocational training aiming at the support offered by the private sector to the civil society and the involved organizations (CSOs) through well-defined grants and ultimately economic development and job creation for rural communities at risk of exclusion.

In that context, BUSINESSMED’s Secretary General, Mrs. Jihen Boutiba Mrad, highlighted the need for the creation of clusters for entrepreneurs and startuppers (the Tech Hubs) in the Mediterranean, hence the importance of technical assistance and access to finance in the information and communication technology sector (ICT). She also added that creative and cultural industry in the region represents a source of job creation with a focus on innovation, competitiveness of SMEs and mobilization of national resources for development.

This meeting was an opportunity for BUSINESSMED to strengthen institutional networking as well as a space for exchange with civil society actors and representatives of the private sector on both sides of the Mediterranean, reaffirming that civil society mobilization is even more important at country level when discussing bilateral aid, which provides the bulk of the EU external assistance.