Youth Perspectives on Quality of Lofe Issues in Some MENA Cities

Youth perspectives on Quality of life issues
in some MENA cities
Dr. Osman Nour, Population Expert and Consultant of MENA Child & Youth Initiative(CYI). Arab Urban Dev. Institute.
The most evident and challenging aspect of MENA region’s demographic profile is its youth bulge, young people are the fastest growing segment of the population(60% are under age 25 years).
Despite some improvement in the quality of life in some MENA countries, according to the 2009 Arab Human Development Report, there are still many people, especially children and youth living insecure lives, and others are living under persistent pressures that inhibit them from realizing their potentials. Many young people in the MENA cities are unemployed and facing other problems such as health, school drop-outs, marginalization and limited community participation in public issues that absolutely deter them from realizing their potentials. This situation has result in the Arab spring
The main objective of the present study is to examine how youth in the MENA cities perceive the threats of unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, violence, drug abuse and crime, and how these unhealthy behaviors impact on youth sense of wellbeing and safety.
The present study will use the findings of the Rapid Community Appraisal surveys (RCA) conducted in three MENA cities