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The Iraqi Youth Initiative is an innovative program focused on the creation of opportunity for Iraqi youth between the ages of 18-35. The Youth Initiative will facilitate the establishment of new businesses, promote the learning of trades, and encourage youth to explore new professions, so that they may earn salaries and profits to generate additional employment. To achieve the Youth Initiative objectives, collaboration with the Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) supported under the USAID-Tijara project is essential. Moreover, the Iraqi Youth Initiative is focused on the successful implementation of the following three activities:

• Youth Entrepreneurship Resource Center (YERC).
• Youth Entrepreneurship Access to Finance (YEAF).
• Youth Employment Promotion (YEP).

The program design of the Iraqi Youth Initiative takes its overall guidance from the Iraq National Development Plan prepared by USAID/Tatweer in conjunction with the Ministry of Planning (National Development Plan). The Youth Initiative will broadly integrate the National Development Plan goals for Economic Growth and Sustainable Human Development into its approach to implementation. The Youth Initiative also adheres to USAID “characteristics of successful assistance to achieve development objectives including economic growth, democracy and governance, and social transition,” transfer of technical skills and promotion of appropriate policies (USAID Nine Principles of Development and Reconstruction Assistance).

The Iraqi Youth Initiative was conceived to collaborate and extend the reach of existing institutions. In Iraq’s southern provinces, for example, Small Business Development Centers leverage the Chambers of Commerce in Muthanna, Najaf, and Dhi Qar, while in Karbala a partnership with the Iraqi Businessmen’s Union is relied upon to extend the Youth Initiative’s reach in the local community. In light of the Iraqi Youth Initiative’s specific aim to generate employment opportunities at the maximum possible rate, it has three major focus areas:

• Facilitating access to finance for youth, previously unavailable in Iraq.
• Creating self employment opportunities by engendering the spirit of entrepreneurship.
• Bridging the gap between employers seeking skilled staff and potential employees in keeping with the Market Assessment conducted by USAID-Tijara.

The program will be characterized by:

• Nationwide grassroots outreach effort.
• Leveraging existing institutions.
• Reliance on extensive use of self assessment tools.
• Focus on rapid programmatic results.

The Iraqi Youth Initiative would not have been available if it were not due to the dedication and hard work of the implementing SBDC and MFI partners as well as the support provided by local leaders in each community and national leaders throughout the country. It is my hope that beneficiaries going through the YEP activity of the Iraqi Youth Initiative gain skill sets that will provide them with job opportunities previously unattainable to them prior to the program and young entrepreneurs throughout the country utilize the YEAF activity of the Iraqi Youth Initiative to create sustainable enterprises that will create new job opportunities for their local community for many generations to come.

Raymond S. Mendenilla
Director, Iraqi Youth Initiative