TRT World - Crisis failing Iraq's youth
My report for TRT world this weekend turned out entirely differently to how I'd planned, and I've learnt just how little nuance telly allows for (!), but I hope it gets across some main points:
* 60% of Iraq’s population are under the age of 25, and last year's Iraq Labour Force Survey reported that 36% of the country's 15-24 year olds are not in education, employment, or training.
* High unemployment levels combined with the ongoing nepotism, abuse of power and concurrent environmental crises in Iraq exacerbate the challenges its young people are forced to navigate.
* Successful start-ups like the Harden Center (and others that were cut from the final v) are essentially profiting from state failings. So there's an interesting point to make there that I don't quite tie together...
In many cases, the private sector is so under-developed because chaos and instability reduces international investment - linked to political decisions (and indecision). The country’s most recent elections last October have yet to result in the formation of a new government, and there's a sense that this hold-up is impacting progress for the younger generation who are increasingly frustrated with what they see as a lack of opportunities.
There's also a deep-rooted sense that the government "owes" people jobs in the bloated bureaucratic system. I probs should have mentioned somewhere that the World Bank recently estimated public sector employees only work for approx 17 minutes per day.
