This NHDR is a contribution to addressing the challenges of development in Lebanon towards achieving its aspirations regarding human development. This Report should be seen as contribution to the process that targets a sustained dialogue. Development debates on issues addressed in the Report should lead to initiatives and actions towards strengthening human development into a rapidly globalized world. Such debates should culminate in national seminars on relevant aspects. Further activity should be conceived under an inclusive approach, providing opportunities to strengthen the linkages and interaction of the public sector with the private sector on the one hand and civil society, on the other.
Youth development has been tackled in Chapter six of the Report, which reviews the priority of, continued investment in human capital for Lebanon to successfully integrate youth into the globalizing world. The chapter examines access to and quality of education and a number of determinants underlying a successful educational system, highlighting weakness and strengths, and suggesting means of adaptation. Among the factors considered are youth orientation, research and development, information and communication technology, access to knowledge, and building Lebanon’s linguistic capital. The final section of the chapter reviews the future role of the state in education.
The 1998 National Human Development Report: Youth and Development
Prepared By:
UNDP Lebanon Country Office
Brief:
The Lebanon National Human Development Report (NHDR) 1998 provides a national perspective of human development in the light of the experience of the past years and, in particular, discusses the subject of youth and development.
There are many reasons for choosing youth as the theme of this Report. In addition to the demographic importance of this age group that constitutes close to one-fifth of the population, Lebanon is in the process of reconstruction after a long and destructive war. The process of reconstruction requires resorting to loans i.e., shifting some of the financial burden to future generations. It also requires a sustained effort on the part of the working population that will extend to more than one generation. Building the capacities of youth, keeping them from migration, and involving them in decision-making through active public participation are, therefore, not only important in general, but are of particular importance to the national situation, and form important conditions for the sustainability of the reconstruction and development efforts underway in the country.
