Here at the IsDB we believe that young people are a community’s asset. Islamic tradition holds its young people in special esteem and calls upon them to be active members of society by contributing to development.

In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we want to help support and empower young people by helping organisations and nations alike, harness the potential of their young people and develop them to be the future of their communities. The IsDB have already started this work via interactive seminars and summits encouraging young Muslim men and women to become more engaged in sociological and economic development in their communities.

How we help

The IsDB have introduced various youth-focused development programmes in our member countries, promoting initiatives such as employment, microfinance, scholarships, entrepreneurship and capacity development. Using a series of development seminars over the last five years and annual development meetings, these sessions have brought together influential thinkers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and international policy experts to discuss the top issues for the business and political spheres.

Strategy

We are committed to utilizing and promoting talent to help address the challenges of Muslim youth, by: 

• Creating a productive and economically empowered body of young people who will contribute to the development of their communities
• Ensuring young people embody leadership by being fully engaged and responsible members of society

The four strategic pillars guiding the Youth Development Programme are:

1. Education – We want our young people to be involved in improving the standard of education in MCs. We’ll do this by establishing skills-based training programmes and designing higher education programmes in line with market needs.
2. Employment – To ensure greater employment prospects, our work will be responsible for engaging and growing the employment offer by widening opportunities for young people on the global development agenda.
3. Entrepreneurship – We recognize that encouraging entrepreneurship among young people has the potential to significantly reduce youth unemployment and poverty. We want to support new initiatives that will help eradicate inequality and poverty in developing countries.
4. Effective engagement – We want an enterprising and effective body of young people who are informed to help consult on the types of issues that impact them and the future of their communities. We’ll do this by introducing more consultative workshops and seminar opportunities across all of our member countries.