Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
UNDP- Youth Employment Portfolio: Unraveling and Tackling Iraq's Employment Challenges
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
BIG BET
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge lies in tackling the complex mix of issues that block job opportunities in Iraq, including security problems, weak governance, economic struggles, low-quality education, lack of technology and infrastructure, and restrictive social norms. These problems particularly affect young people, limiting their chances to work and contribute to the country's economy.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
According to sensemaking, exploring, and system analysis the main challenges of youth employment in Iraq can be summarized as follows:
A constellation of interrelated challanges effects on economic development and job creation, disproportionately affecting young people's employment opportunities and their ability to contribute to the nation's economic growth.
Addressing youth employment requires understanding how security, governance, economic factors, education quality, technological advancement, infrastructure robustness, and social norms collectively influence Iraq's economic development and employment landscape.
Current infrastructures and incentives do not adequately support youth participation in the economy, necessitating a shift towards more youth-centric environments.
There exists a significant gap between the skills taught in educational institutions and those demanded by the market, indicating a need for integrated skills and professional development initiatives.
The current ecosystem inadequately supports the full employment and entrepreneurship life cycle for young Iraqis, from business registration to accessing finance, underscoring the need for a comprehensive ecosystem for youth business growth.
Incentives and infrastructure that facilitate equal access to employment opportunities, particularly for young women and in emerging sectors like digital and green technologies, are lacking.
Social norms and paradigms often restrict young people, especially young women, from entering and thriving in the employment market, necessitating a shift towards more supportive mental models.
These challenges highlight the need for a multifaceted and systemic approach to create a conducive ecosystem for youth employ
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Iraqi Youth: Visions and Aspirations - An Analytical Study (In Arabic) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mW8F3V0KTXKztY8TxNQYp1tOnfHn8_ot/view?usp=drive_link
Mapping the Iraqi Entrepreneurial Ecosystem:Growth Domains, Involved Actors, and Leading Programs https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fKB5tqDbT_PXLx6tKmx90ikeiHgbPnm-/view?usp=drive_link
Iraqi White Paper for Economic Reform: https://gds.gov.iq/iraqs-white-paper-for-economic-reforms-vision-and-key-objectives/
Deep demonstrations: a portfolio approach to re-imagining the social contract in Iraq https://www.undp.org/arab-states/blog/deep-demonstrations-portfolio-approach-re-imagining-social-contract-iraq
Youth Vision 2030 (it is available in Arabic Language only): https://iraq.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/rwy_lshbb_2030_lnskh_lnhyy.pdf
Youth in Iraq, FES MENA Youth Study: Results Analysis: https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/amman/20070-20230223.pdf
UNFPA Analytical Report of the National Youth Survey: https://iraq.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Analytical%20Report%20of%20NYS%20English%20Summary.pdf
Youth in 2030 Agenda: https://www.undp.org/iraq/news/youth-2030-agenda
Iraqi Youth: Visions and Aspirations - An Analytical Study: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mW8F3V0KTXKztY8TxNQYp1tOnfHn8_ot/view?usp=sharing
Mapping the Iraqi Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fKB5tqDbT_PXLx6tKmx90ikeiHgbPnm-/view?usp=sharing
Iraqi Entrepreneurs' Journey Research https://kapita.iq/content/issue/iraqi-entrepreneurs-journey-research
Iraqi Startups' Ecosystem Monitor https://kapita.iq/content/issue/iraqi-startups-ecosystem-monitor-2
Iraqi Entrepreneurs’ Journey: An In-Depth Analysis https://kapita.iq/content/issue/iraqi-entrepreneurs-journey-depth-analysis
Iraqi Startups' Ecosystem Monitor https://kapita.iq/content/issue/iraqi-startups-ecosystem-monitor
Roadmap 2 startup Iraq Guide https://kapita.iq/content/issue/roadmap2iraq
Blog: Artificial Neural Networks Simulation in Identifying Local Solutions in Iraq https://www.undp.org/iraq/blog/artificial-neural-networks-simulation-identifying-local-solutions-iraq-1
Article https://ina.iq/eng/26464-prime-minister-our-governments-program-to-meet-the-needs-of-young-people.html
Article https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/11/can-iraqs-new-government-reform-corrupt-system?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsIejBhDOARIsANYqkD2YiWS4jigd5lYhQuWqjLqAa5whvhK2XYOizIbBg8ElotScaU9Hc7UaAtODEALw_wcB
International Labour Organization (ILO) Reports ilo.org](https://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm
UNDP Human Development Reports (HDR) hdr.undp.org](https://hdr.undp.org/
Institute for Economics & Peace Global Peace Index (GPI) https://www.economicsandpeace.org/reports/
Digital Landscape Assessment of Iraq https://www.undp.org/iraq/publications/digital-landscape-assessment-iraq
IRAQ MSME 2020 SURVEY https://www.undp.org/iraq/publications/iraq-msme-2020-survey
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
Given, on the one hand, the high rate of unemployment among youth, especially young women, and difficulties in finding decent jobs and starting and growing new businesses and on the other hand, the emergence of new economic sectors (e g green, digital)
We strive to transform the "youth employment system" for both young women and men across all of Iraq by weaving together top down, evidence based interventions ( incentives, infrastructure) and bottom up support ( households, communities) and forging partnerships with and among a variety of actors ( private sector, academia, entrepreneurs, business development service providers). By affecting the following shifts
Incentives and infrastructure (physical and digital) that facilitate equal access to employment opportunities and increase the employment rate of youth, especially among women and in emerging sectors ( digital, etc
Models of skills (hard and soft) and professional development that are informed by and align with market needs
An ecosystem that supports the full employment/entrepreneurship lifecycle, starting with registration and access to finance
Mental models (social norms and paradigms) that support young people, especially young women, entering and thriving in the employment market.
Resulting in an ecosystem that young people have confidence in and that provides equal access to economic opportunities for youth to start and scale their own business, to find decent jobs, and to drive economic growth and diversification.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
UNDP Iraq's Accelerator Lab drives change in youth employment with a dynamic portfolio approach, embracing systemic analysis and cross-sector collaboration for sustainable, empowering solutions.
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the partner:
UNDP-Iraq Unites and Pillars: Green Economy, Social Cohesion, and Governance & Digitalization
What sector does our partner belong to?
United Nations
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
All pillars will work with UNDP Accelerator Labs, Communication, and PMSU in CO to implment the interventions and experiment the options.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
How can we learn to overcome obstacles like security, poor education, and social norms to create job opportunities for Iraq's youth, especially women, in emerging sectors?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Sense, Explore, Test
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Systems Thinking and Mapping: To understand the interconnected challenges affecting youth employment in Iraq, including security issues, governance, economic instability, educational gaps, and restrictive social norms. Systems thinking allows for mapping these interdependencies to identify leverage points where interventions could have the most significant systemic impact. Provides a holistic view of the employment ecosystem, highlighting how changes in one area can affect others. This ensures that interventions are strategic and address the root causes of unemployment challenges, rather than just the symptoms.
Participatory Design and Stakeholder Engagement: To gather insights from a broad range of stakeholders, including government bodies, private sector entities, academia, civil society, and the youth themselves. Workshops and engagement forums facilitate the co-creation of solutions and ensure interventions are grounded in the realities and needs of all stakeholders. Enhances the relevance and sustainability of solutions by incorporating diverse perspectives. Stakeholder engagement ensures buy-in and support for the implementation of interventions, increasing the likelihood of success.
Portfolio Approach and Experimentation: To design and manage a dynamic portfolio of interventions, allowing for the simultaneous testing of multiple strategies to address youth unemployment. This approach enables real-time learning and adaptation based on what is effective.Also, to introduce flexibility and adaptability into the intervention design, ensuring that strategies can evolve in response to new insights or changes in the environment. The portfolio approach maximizes the impact by spreading risks and identifying the most effective solutions.
Sensemaking: To continuously collect and analyze data on the effectiveness of different interventions, using indicators that measure changes in youth employment rates, entrepreneurial activity, skill development, and access to opportunities. Monitoring tools and data analysis will inform the ongoing adjustment of strategies. And, Provides evidence-based insights that guide decision-making, ensuring resources are allocated to the most impactful interventions. Data analysis enables the tracking of progress towards goals, facilitating accountability and learning.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Based on the learning question above on how to overcome obstacles like security, poor education, and social norms to create job opportunities for Iraq's youth, especially women, in emerging sectors, employing a participatory approach, co-creation, prototyping, and stakeholder engagement necessitates leveraging several innovative and interactive data sources:
Participatory Mapping and Community Insights: Engaging communities directly to map out the obstacles to youth employment using participatory GIS (Geographic Information Systems) tools or community mapping workshops. This approach harnesses local knowledge and perspectives, offering nuanced insights into how socio-economic, security, and educational factors intersect to affect youth employment opportunities.
Co-Creation Workshops: Data generated from co-creation workshops where youth, employers, educators, and policymakers collaborate to ideate and design potential employment solutions. These sessions produce rich qualitative data on the needs, aspirations, and creative ideas of young Iraqis, providing a solid foundation for designing interventions that are both innovative and grounded in local realities.
Prototyping Sessions: Feedback and observations from testing low-fidelity prototypes of employment interventions with target user groups. Prototyping sessions help in refining ideas before full-scale implementation. Offers immediate, actionable feedback on the feasibility, usability, and desirability of proposed solutions, allowing for rapid iteration and improvement.
Stakeholder Engagement Surveys: Surveys and questionnaires tailored to specific stakeholder groups (e.g., businesses in emerging sectors, educational institutions, community leaders) to gather targeted insights on barriers and opportunities for youth employment. Provides structured data on the perceptions, capacities, and willingness of various stakeholders to support youth employment initiatives, helping to align interventions with the ecosystem's realities.
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
For the challenge of overcoming obstacles to youth employment in Iraq, especially in emerging sectors for young women, potential champions and collaborators for growth include:
Local Entrepreneurs and enablers: Especially those in the digital and green sectors, who can provide mentorship, internships, and eventually employment opportunities.
Educational Sector: Universities and vocational training centers that can adapt their curricula to better meet market needs and equip students with relevant skills.
Government Sector: Particularly those focused on labor, education, and women's affairs, for policy support, funding, and infrastructure development.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): Both local and international, with missions aligned to youth empowerment, gender equality, and economic development, for collaboration on programs and initiatives.
International Development Organizations: For financial support, technical expertise, and global best practices in youth employment programs.
Community Leaders: To advocate for social norm changes, especially concerning gender roles and the importance of education.
Engaging these groups early can help amplify the impact of the challenge, ensuring the sustainability and scalability of the initiatives developed.
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8Decent work and economic growth
9Industry, innovation and infrastructure
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