World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa

The 2013 World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa highlighted the urgent need to create 75 million jobs to address a youth unemployment rate of 28.3%. The report emphasizes the role of SMEs, education reform, and public-private partnerships in driving growth, while calling for improved economic governance, gender equality, and regional cooperation to mitigate risks such as the Syrian crisis and resource scarcity.

• The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region faces a critical youth employment crisis, with a youth unemployment rate of 28.3%. To utilize the potential of its young population, the region must create 75 million jobs over the coming decades.
• Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are vital drivers of the regional economy, accounting for 80% of businesses and 30% of employment. However, they are hindered by a lack of financial infrastructure and a lack of risk management tools among banks.
• There is a significant infrastructure investment gap in the Arab world, with an estimated annual requirement of US$ 75 billion to US$ 100 billion to maintain growth and competitiveness.
• Family-owned businesses are central to the MENA economy, controlling 80% of businesses and providing approximately 70% of employment, but they face a high risk of failure during the transfer of assets to the third generation.
• Gender inequality remains a significant challenge in the Arab region, with a gender gap score of 59%. The United Arab Emirates is the only Arab country to have closed the educational attainment gap.
• Energy subsidies in the MENA region are considered dysfunctional, accounting for nearly 25% of annual government expenditure, which is significantly higher than the less than 1% seen in developed economies.
• The Syrian civil war has created a severe humanitarian crisis, with over 1.5 million refugees impacting neighboring countries like Jordan and Lebanon, where refugees exceed 10% of the population.
• Intra-regional trade within the League of Arab States is lower than in other global trade blocs, hampered by complex regulations, inefficient customs, and a lack of inter-regional transport infrastructure.

APA

World Economic Forum (2013). World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/MENA13/WEF_MENA13_Report.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa. 2013. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/MENA13/WEF_MENA13_Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa |date=2013 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/MENA13/WEF_MENA13_Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2013world, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2013}, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/MENA13/WEF_MENA13_Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }