Call for Participants: Arab World Heritage Young Professionals Forum
About the Forum
The Arab World Heritage Young Professionals Forum is organized by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, under the World Heritage Education Programme, within the framework of the UNESCO/UNOCT project on the Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) through Youth Empowerment in Jordan, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, co-funded by Canada. It is organized in collaboration with the Arab League Educational, Cultural
and Scientific Organization (ALECSO).
The Forum will be held in Tunis, Tunisia, from 2 to 6 December 2019.
The Forum aims to engage and empower youth in the Arab States region in their critical roles as global citizens towards peacebuilding, through the protection, preservation and promotion of World Heritage.
The five-day Forum will gather up to 38 young professionals from the Arab States region, 2 representatives from each of the 19 countries (Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen).
Background
Youth make up almost 1.2 billion of the world’s population, and this number is expected to grow. According to the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security (2018), as of 2016 at least 1 in 4 youth (aged 15-29) is affected by violence or armed conflict in some way.
In the Arab States region, 60 percent of the population have not yet reached the age of 30, The region also faces complex challenges; characteristics include income inequality, low productivity jobs, and insufficient job creation (UNDP AHDR, 2016). There too is a high cost to human development linked to the rising conflicts in the region. If the voices and potential of youth in Arab countries remain ignored, youth will grow ever more alienated, prompting them to lose their capacity to act as constructive forces serving development.
Violent extremism threatens the security and fundamental rights of citizens all over the world, and undermines the attempts of many countries to achieve sustainable peace.
Culture is a powerful and unifying force that can help prevent violent extremism and facilitate peacebuilding and reconciliation. It nurtures a sense of belonging, fosters mutual understanding, and opens spaces for embracing diversity, encouraging critical thinking and intercultural dialogue.
Hence, mobilizing young people, who play a crucial role in the protection and preservation of heritage, is essential to building inclusive, sustainable, and peaceful societies Active participation in cultural life also provides young people with opportunities to broaden their horizons by highlighting shared histories and experiences and strengthening their ability to resolve conflicts peacefully.
Objectives and Expected Outcomes
The Forum will adopt an inclusive, multi-disciplinary and participatory approach across youth, heritage, peacebuilding and communications, to:
- Enhance the knowledge of the World Heritage Convention among the participants, and strengthen a shared sense of belonging and ownership of heritage to foster peacebuilding
- Enable the participants to exchange on the challenges faced in Arab States in relation to heritage; and discuss how culture can be leveraged to contribute to a future of peace for the region
- Develop a dynamic network of young people that create change and positive impact in their communities using heritage as a channel of peace.
In terms of expected outcomes, the participants will prepare an action plan on how World Heritage can contribute to peacebuilding in the Arab States region. In addition, they are expected to create projects/activities geared towards local communities, by applying the knowledge and skills acquired during the Forum.
Programme The methodology envisioned aims to allow young people to engage with their heritage along with their communities to foster peacebuilding. The Forum will be a space to encourage dialogue and exchange, and support new ways of sharing and working together. As such, it will consist of a mix of workshops on heritage and peacebuilding, project planning, brainstorming and group discussion sessions between participants, site visits and community interactions.
The Forum will be implemented and moderated using interactive approaches to knowledge transmission, through a non-formal education methodology
Organization and Practical Information
The Forum will take place from 2 to 6 December 2019, in Tunis, Tunisia. The participants are expected to arrive on Sunday 1 December, remain available for the entire duration of the Forum until 6 December, included.
All expenses related to the participation in the Forum will be covered (including transportation – economy class, meals and accommodation for the duration of the Forum)
Eligibility Criteria
Participants are expected to:
- have relevant experience in the field of World Heritage; and be working on
protection, preservation and promotion of heritage in their regular activities - be working in and/or demonstrate interest in the promotion of peace
- be citizens of one of the 19 countries in the Arab States region
- be between 23 and 32 years of age on the date of application
- be fluent in English
- be motivated and committed to implementing the outcomes of the Forum in their
respective countries - be available for the entire duration of the Forum
Note: Presenting project proposals and ideas related to World Heritage that promote peacebuilding, while applying, will be considered an additional asset
Application and Selection Procedure
All interested candidates are invited to complete the online application form available here
Please note that candidates are also requested to attach their CVs, along with the application form.
The deadline for the submission of applications is 3 October 2019 at 23:59 CET.
Gender and geographical diversity will be taken into account when making the selection of the participants, along with the diversity of professional backgrounds and experience.
The selected applicants will be informed in the second half of October.
Further Information
For any questions regarding the Forum and/or any difficulties encountered during the application process, kindly contact Ms Ines Yousfi, at the following email:
[email protected]
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