Specialists, representatives of youth NGOs and sport clubs called on Thursday to create clear mechanisms, to ensure youth sector involvement, participation and inspiration in the Gaza Strip construction process. They stressed the need to remove all the obstacles that limit their participation in the decision-making process.

The specialists and youth NGOs warned of the repercussions of the economic, social and political situation as well as the high rates of unemployment among the youth in the Gaza Strip caused by the continued Israeli occupation's blockade and the Palestinian internal division. They stressed the need to provide better opportunities for the youth and empower them at the different levels.

This happened during a workshop under the title of "Proactive engagement of youth sector in Gaza construction process", organized by the youth sector in the Palestinian NGO's Network (PNGO) in Gaza, with the participation of representatives of Palestinian NGO's, Sports clubs, and each of Ministry of Labor and Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The workshop held within a project for "Effective Participation of Civil Society in Gaza Strip Reconstruction Process'' in cooperation with GIZ and PNGO.

Suhail Tanani, member of the youth sector in the Palestinian NGO's Network, presented a fact sheet on the impact of the Israeli occupation's offensive of summer 2014 and the delay of the reconstruction process on the youth sector. He shed light on the youth sector in the Gaza Strip and diagnosed the reality of the youth and reviewed the obstacles to achieving development.

Tanani mentioned the negative factors that affect the youth sector which include the absence of equitable representation of young people in decision-making positions  and the absence of funding dedicated to the development and empowerment of young people as well as the slow pace of reconstruction.

According to Tanani, These factors also include the Palestinian internal political division and the disruption of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and the regulatory system.

He stressed the need to focus on the sectors that accommodate large numbers of youth such as construction, agriculture and information technology sectors in the reconstruction process, noting that ''the unemployment rate among youth exceeded 60% showing terrifying figures"

Tanani called to activate partnership between the international and local organizations to advance and empower the youth to enable them to access decision-making positions.

He called the youth to seize the opportunity to protect their future and improve their situation by exercising a real pressure on decision-makers, to ensure the youth active participation in the different stages of the reconstruction process.

Dr. Majed Ismail, Deputy General Director of Planning and Policy at the Ministry of Labor, stated that his ministry has fully prepared to provide all the information needed to activate the role of youth in the reconstruction. The ministry will play a role to participate in all events organized by the Palestinian NGO's Network, said Dr. Ismail.

He called to create a national plan that will include youth among the priorities of the reconstruction process.

Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO's Network, referred to the slow pace of the reconstruction process and the donated funds for the reconstruction process which reached 28% of the pledged amount, in addition to the Israeli occupation's restrictions imposed on the entry of the construction materials as well as other materials that are used for production, and the restrictions imposed on the export from the Gaza Strip in the light of the continued Israeli occupation's blockade and the Palestinian internal division.

Shawa stated that the Palestinian NGO's Network, through its efforts, "seeks to empower the societal sectors including the youth sector in particular and enable youth to create their visions and pressure to convince the decision-makers to empower and involve the youth sector in the reconstruction process which has been facing a real crisis for the second year in a row since the Israeli offensive of summer 2014."

He stressed the need to ensure the involvement and participation of youth in the reconstruction process, including mobilization of all youth energies to promote the development and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.

The participants of the workshop, for their part, stressed the need to develop clear frameworks for youth participation in volunteering and community services, and the need for the various official and private bodies to direct the agenda of donors towards adopting projects that serve and empower the youth.

They emphasized the need to formulate government and national policies that support the youth, and the need to exert pressure to end the state of internal division and achieve reconciliation and national unity.