Dubai foundation to provide jobs for refugees, displaced youth in Arab countries

A new initiative focused on “jobs, not handouts” has been launched to provide training and employment opportunities for nearly 7,000 young people, at least half of them women, across Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria.

The model is the result of a partnership between the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation (AGF) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The programme will equip participants with market-relevant skills,Business English, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship support. Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund is leading the implementation, working with Glocalshift and in coordination with IFC’s 1001 Stars project to engage private sector employers.

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Speaking at the launch during the 1001 Stars Jobs4All Forum in Dubai, Dr Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, said the aim was to shift from temporary aid to long-term opportunity.

Jobs4All Forum in Dubai

“Opportunity is not given, it’s built. This is about mobilising employers, educators, investors, and communities around the shared goal of building livelihood opportunities that are dignified and resilient to the volatility of fragile environments,” she said.

The initiative is designed to respond to the needs of refugee, internally displaced, and marginalised youth in fragile Arab states, where unemployment remains among the highest in the world. IFC Vice President Hela Cheikhrouhou said the partnership addresses an urgent challenge.

“Across the Middle East, forcibly displaced individuals are striving to overcome exceptionally difficult circumstances. IFC is proud to partner with the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation on this important initiative, working alongside private enterprises to expand access to skills and jobs that create dignified livelihood opportunities.”

IFC’s 1001 Stars project, launched in 2024, brings together companies from across the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to create thousands of jobs and training opportunities for marginalised groups. With advisory support, it helps employers integrate women, youth, people with disabilities, and displaced communities into their workforces.

Dr Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of AGF, said the focus was on addressing unemployment in some of the region's most fragile economies. "These countries were chosen because they face severe unemployment challenges. Youth unemployment in the non-GCC Middle East reached 28 per cent in 2023, according to the International Labour Organisation. In Palestine alone, more than 500,000 jobs were lost in early 2024,” she told Khaleej Times. 

She explained that the initiative combines AGF’s “Learning to Earning” approach, already applied in the UAE since 2018, with IFC’s expertise in working with the private sector. “This partnership goes beyond helping young people find jobs;  the exciting element lies in job creation. By combining IFC’s private sector engagement with AGF’s proven skills-building approach, we are unlocking opportunities for high-quality upskilling, meaningful employment, and long-term livelihoods,” Dr Ben Jaafar added.

The programme will run for two years, from September 2025 to September 2027. Around 2,000 youth are expected to graduate and secure employment opportunities by the end of the first quarter of 2026.

She also highlighted the sectors where opportunities will be created. “We are focusing on market-needed industries such as digital, green economy, manufacturing, banking and financial services, entrepreneurship, and vocational trades, as well as other emerging fields that can provide growth and stability,” she said.

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