Inclusive growth means providing equitable opportunities for participation of youth in civic engagements and increasing employment opportunities for economic actors towards economic growth. Creating inclusive employment requires a range of elements such as: focusing on women, breaking social barriers, influencing for pro-youth policies, being sensitive to conflict, promote access to finance, managing risks, building local capacity, increasing partnership base, improving and investing on market services and facilitating private sector involvement.
Inclusive Growth
Women’s empowerment
Women’s empowerment is at the core of any effective and impactful development initiative. It encompasses the dimensions of women’s ‘Voice, Choice and Control’. Women’s empowerment generates direct effects on:
- more economic leadership positions taken by women, including enterprises led by women,
- more jobs and more job opportunities for women,
- a wider range of jobs are seen as suitable for women,
- improved conditions of employment for women – equality of pay
- freedom from discrimination and abuse and women feel safe at work,
- improved supporting services for women employees,
- women entrepreneurs able to sell more and get better prices,
- greater access to inputs and services for women producers at better prices, and
- access to financial services to promote security and prosperity for themselves and their families.
Youth
Youth unemployment in the MENA region has been the highest in the world. Informal labour market in the region without much decent job opportunities. Young entrepreneurs face obstacles like lack of access to finance, lack of skills needed for the fast-changing market and social barriers to participate in labour markets. Participation of youth is a felt need for equitable development and youth-led development can be instrumental in facilitating strong entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability affects youth in different situations such as being in Not in Education, Employment, and training (NEET) category, living in far off rural areas with limited access to information or resources or in working in urban areas under harsh conditions. They can be subject to marginalisation, deprived of accessing resources, and face social barriers to participate in civic engagements. We believe that vulnerable people have capacities to cope with adversity and can take steps to improve their lives, however difficult their situation may be.
Disability
People living with special abilities need support to access their rights and get skills, and employment. Oxfam’s strong focus on ensuring equality necessitates that disability rights are mainstreamed across youth programmes and its partners.
