Conclusion of the Regional Conference on the Role of Youth in the Electoral Process

24 Aug 2022 
The Regional Conference on the Role of Youth in the Electoral Process, which was launched yesterday under the patronage of Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah and with the broad participation of Arab electoral administrations and a number of relevant international organizations, was concluded today in Amman, and was held in cooperation between the Independent Electoral Commission and the Arab Organization of Electoral Administrations, and lasted for two consecutive days, and with the support of the United Nations Development Program and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
The last day of the conference witnessed many works that discussed issues related to the participation of youth in the elections, which focused on political parties and elections, partnership between electoral administrations and civil society institutions, the legislative and political environment, in addition to the impact of awareness and education on enhancing the political participation of youth and discussed some recommendations that will be worked on in the future.
  
In his closing remarks, Hisham Kohail, Chairman of the Executive Office of the Arab Organization of Electoral Administrations and Executive Director of the Central Elections Committee in Palestine, stressed the importance of educating young people about their political rights and motivating them to engage in the electoral process, take their real place in society and expand their participation in decision-making.
Kohail stressed the need to study the phenomenon of youth reluctance to participate in elections and work to overcome obstacles that prevent their participation in political life in general and elections in particular, and to create a fertile environment that enables them to prove their presence on the political scene, to be one of the tools of the desired political reform.
It is worth mentioning that yesterday, on the sidelines of the conference, the Arab Youth Network in the elections was launched, under the patronage of His Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah, and in a speech delivered by his representative Faisal Al-Fayez, Speaker of the Senate, through which he stressed the importance of caring for young people, enhancing their role in elections and bringing about the required positive change at the level of society and the state. 
The launch of the Arab Youth Network in Elections is an opportunity to frame and integrate youth into the electoral process, and to establish the rules of joint coordination between the Network and international organizations, especially in the field of exchanging experiences at the regional and international levels in order to enhance the effective participation of young people and pave the way for them to participate in the decision-making process