Injaz Al-Arab has been acknowledged as one of the world’s most influential and prominent non-governmental organisations (NGOs) by The Global Journal for the second consecutive year.

Operating in 15 countries across the Mena region, Injaz Al-Arab is a confederation of national operations collaborating with corporate volunteers and ministries of education to provide experiential education and training to Arab youth in work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

The ranking awards dynamic and innovative NGOs across the world for their impact on a social, economic and humanitarian level.

Moving up four spots from last year’s ranking to 92, Injaz Al-Arab is recognized for its extensive efforts to tackle the pressing issue of Arab youth unemployment amidst on-going political and social upheavals in the Middle East.

The accolade puts Injaz Al-Arab on par with the world leading NGOs including; Doctors without Borders, Acumen Fund, Oxfam, Wikimedia Foundation and BRAC.

Injaz Al-Arab is an organization which links Arab youth to the mentorship of Arab business leaders who work together to cultivate the next generation of business leaders.

Injaz Al-Arab remains one of two organizations from the Mena region to be listed, highlighting the organizations uniqueness and the need for a proactive approach to the growing problem faced by the Arab world.

The second Mena organization listed is 'Friends of the Earth Middle East,' an organization which focuses on maintaining sustainable development in the region.

Commenting on the global listing, Soraya Salti, the regional director of Injaz Al-Arab and senior VP (Mena) for Junior Achievement Worldwide said, "Across the region, Arab youth continue to face a tremendous struggle. After completing an average of 16 years of education where they are taught to work hard and reach for the stars, they then enter the workforce filled with enthusiasm and hope."

"This hope rapidly diminishes as the bleakness of job prospects becomes a reality," she stated.

"As a result, youth continue to cry out for change – usually aimed at the government and big business who are also struggling to find the right solutions. Our organisation seeks to help Arab youth by putting their future and economic wellbeing in their hands," explained Salti.

"We work with local volunteers from the business community to provide young students with a broad base of entrepreneurship training and the opportunities to develop basic business skills and financial literacy. The idea is to make each individual capable of running their own businesses whilst also training them on job-ready skills that are in increasing demand by the private sector," she stated.
 
The students are provided with experimental education and training in as work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship with the help of their professional mentors who provide first-hand experience on the work environment.

Since its inception in 2004, Injaz Al-Arab programs have reached 1,000,000 students and engaged 21,000 volunteers, said Salti.

“Injaz Al-Arab instills a new perspective on Arab youth so they can become leaders in their own right. Our organisation is about empowering the next generation so they own their future,” she added.

The Global Journal is a print and online publication based in Geneva and New York that covers the issues and players shaping global governance today.-TradeArabia News Service