The Arab Center for Youth Empowerment is one of the most important centers established to serve young people in the Arab world. The specialized center, which aims at enabling Arab youth, was founded based on the concept of cooperation between the Royal Scientific Society, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University, and Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd International Foundation. It was decided that the headquarters of the center should be in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The main objectives of the center are to equip Arab youth with the skills needed to live a positive and effective life, to discover latent special skills among young people and to support them towards making world-class achievements, to strengthen the bonds between the youth of the different Arab countries to serve common goals, and to promote a sense of loyalty and belonging to their Arab identity.
In recognition of the constructive efforts of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan in establishing the Arab Center for Youth Empowerment and facilitating the cooperation, she has been chosen to serve as Chairman of the Center’s Board of Trustees. The remaining members of the Board, representing the various Arab countries, are as follows:
Dr. Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa AlKhalifa, Executive Director of Isa Cultural Centre / Kingdom of Bahrain
Muammar Al-Eryani, Minister of Information / Yemen
Dr Abdulrahman Almutairi, Director General of Public Authority for Youth / Kuwait
Ahmad Hariri, Secretary General of the Future Movement / Lebanon
Issam Qaddoumi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports / Palestine
HE Dr. Khleif Al Khawaldeh, Former Minister of Public Sector Development / Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Eng. Hani Mahmoud, Minister of ICT and former Minister of Administrative Development / Egypt
HE Dr. Abdulrahman Abdul Manan Al Awar, Director General of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources / United Arab Emirates
Dr. Nasser Al-Hitlan Al-Qahtani, Director General of Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO) / Saudi Arabia
Prof. Mashhoor Abdullah Al-Refai, President of Princess Sumaya University for Technology / Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Prof. Issa Bin Hassan Al Ansari, Rector of Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University / Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
This center has been established as a real and effective tool to achieve the desired objectives through discovering the special skills to be found among young people and supporting them through training programs, research and studies. The aim is to encourage the exchange of ideas between the youth of the different Arab countries and encourage them to turn those ideas into practical projects that serve the target communities. This is especially important in light of the rapid changes brought about by advancements in knowledge and technology, which have, in turn, created a challenging environment for young people who now require the capabilities and skills to enable them to face and overcome those challenges.
Prof. Issa Bin Hassan Al Ansari, Rector of Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (KSA), stated that the center will be located in Jordan and will receive backing from Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd International Foundation, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, and the Royal Scientific Society of Jordan. In the coming days, consultative committees will be set up to research the needs of young people and propose appropriate programs and projects for each Arab country to serve young people of both sexes across the Arab world.
Prof. Mashhoor Al-Refai, President of PSUT, said that this cooperation paves the way for a massive improvement in the situation of Arab youth in the various scientific, technical, social and practical fields. It also contributes to discovering special skills among young people and supporting them to realizing world-class achievements. The Arab Center for Youth Empowerment, the first of its kind established to promote an Arab youth partnership, will also work to strengthen the bonds between Arab youth to promote the sense of belonging to their Arab identity.