It was the youth of Egypt who brought the country to a screeching halt -- who demanded change so relentlessly that one of the world's longest standing leaders was ultimately forced to bend to their request.
Youth voices have been loud and clear these past few weeks, and they're now echoing across Algeria, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and Iran. Like many Middle Eastern and North African nations, the majority of people in these countries are under 30; in Syria, more than 40 percent of citizens are under 15. In all of these countries, these young people also have the highest rate of unemployment.
Just as they did in Tunisia, Egypt and the United States during the 2008 presidential election, the youth -- driven by unacceptable socioeconomic and political conditions, and organizing through new technology/social media as well as classic techniques of nonviolent resistance -- will bring change across this region.
We hear their voices and see their images on TV and we are impressed. But after the shouting is done and regimes are overthrown -- what's next? Whose voices will string together the new laws, the new systems?
We must arm the youth with the skills to lead. We must give them the tools they need in order to succeed in building a positive future for their respective countries and for us as a global society.
For example, the Afghanistan government, in a unique and progressive spirit, has committed to organize youth councils in its cities and villages, all the way to the chambers of their government assemblies. Slightly above the region's average, about 70 percent of Afghan youth are under 30 -- middle aged, since Afghan life expectancy is only 44. Will equipping 70 percent of its population to participate in their country's development increase life expectancy, and standard of life? Will youth voices lend themselves to just laws? Will youth ideas create innovative business schemes that eventually undermine the fierce weight of the drug trade?
We'll ask them this summer, when select Afghan youth will join their counterparts from many countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, and the United States, in Seattle, WA, as they participate in ONEWORLD 2011 to compare notes on youth leadership and to gain valuable skills. Together, these young people will practice valuing who they are, what they have to offer, and will design and participate in projects to take back to their communities. Many organizations around the world, like Morocco's Sister-Cities program, INJAZ Al-Arab, Mercy Corp., PYALARA, AIESEC, the government of Morocco, and the government of Afghanistan, have become very serious about creating a permanent place for youth voices in policy and development. We should honor these organizations, governments, and individuals and continue to build upon their vital work.
Let's remember the ecstatic energy of that historic day in Tahrir Square and make sure that we harness that momentum and channel it in a positive direction. And, as we watch Tunisia and Egypt's transition and as the domino effect across the region unfolds, it is essential that we remember that the youth are not the silent minority but rather the loud majority, with whom we must actively engage NOW, so that they can lead us to a bright and cooperative future.