RECOMMENDATION FOR USG ENGAGEMENT WITH "SILATECH"

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000159

SIPDIS

MEPI WASHINGTON FOR TOM ANDREWS
ABU DHABI FOR MEPI OFFICE RALPH FALZONE
H PLEASE PASS TO CONGRESSMAN BRIAN BAIRD AND SENIOR POLICY
ADVISOR NICHOLAS PALARINO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB EAID ECON ECIN EFIN QA BA MO TS YM SY
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION FOR USG ENGAGEMENT WITH "SILATECH"
ARAB YOUTH EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE

REF: A. DOHA 130

B. 2008 DOHA 146

This cable contains an Action Request - see comment.

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KEY POINTS
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-- "Silatech" ("Your Connection" in Arabic),a one-year-old
Arab youth employment initiative founded and funded by the
Qatari Amir's consort Shaykha Mozah, is preparing for its
second summit, June 8-9 in Doha.

-- The summit will be used to announce new commitments to the
initiative and enhance networking among governments, the
private sector, and civil society groups working on
addressing Arab youth unemployment, according to the
organization's CEO Rick Little.

-- Little told us Silatech wants to be receptive to the new
Obama Administration, and would welcome the USG playing a
"supporting but not dominant role" in the initiative.

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COMMENT
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-- Embassy believes Silatech is worthy of engagement by USG
organizations and officials working in the field of youth
employment in the Arab world. Such engagement would help
synchronize USG regional activities with those of this
well-funded initiative which is supported by key individuals
and organizations, including the United Nations,
International Labor Organization, World Bank, and U.S.
companies such as Cisco.

-- As a first step, engagement could involve meetings or a
video-conference with Silatech staff by MEPI, USAID, and/or
others working in this field. This would pave the way for
possible USG involvement in the June summit. The proposed
Congressional field hearing at Education City (Ref A) would
also be a natural vehicle for Congress to learn more about
Silatech and regional initiatives to combat Arab youth
unemployment.

-- POC for follow-up on this recommended engagement is
Economic Officer David Fabrycky, available at Tel:
974-496-6731; Fax: 974-496-6709; Email: FabryckyDA@state.gov.

End Key Points and Comment.


1. As reported reftel, Silatech is a year-old
organization/initiative intended to "engage the private,
public, and civil society sectors to promote large-scale job
creation, entrepreneurship, and access to capital and
markets." The initiative is the brainchild of the Amir's
consort Shaykha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Misned (the Chairperson
of the Qatar Foundation, which is the home of Education City
and six branch U.S. universities). The royal couple has
personally donated USD 100 million to Silatech as seed
capital.


2. CEO Rick Little (an American citizen) said Shaykha Mozah
is very engaged with the organization through her position as
Chair of the Board of Trustees. The Board also includes
luminaries such as former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari,
Chairman of the Financial Times Sir David Bell, Cisco
Chairman and CEO John Chambers, former Irish President Mary
Robinson, and Chairman of Tata and Sons Ratan Tata. The
staff includes several Amcits.


3. The organization says it will focus on three areas:
-- Improving access to skills training and placement
services, micro and small and medium-sized enterprises'
access to capital, business development services and markets.
-- Promotion of policies to stimulate increased employment
and enterprise opportunities.
-- Improving the "mindset" in the region to improve society's
recognition and support for youth employment.

DOHA 00000159 002 OF 002




4. To accomplish these goals, Silatech says it intends to:
-- Provide thought leadership - to stimulate the design of
comprehensive local youth employment strategies and programs
based on best practices and cutting-edge research.
-- Mobilize investment - to assure large scale impact.
-- Provide innovative technologies - to facilitate skills
development, job placement, access to markets and to achieve
economies of scale.


5. To implement this vision, the June 8-9 summit in Doha is
intended to "unveil a range of new (financial and
programmatic) commitments," according to Little. Silatech
has decided to focus for now on pilot projects in six
countries: Syria, Yemen, Morocco, Tunisia, Bahrain, and
Qatar. Details and the stage of development of these
projects are unclear, though Little mentioned pending
formation of banking consortiums to mobilize capital.


6. More information on the organization can be found at:
www.silatech.com.

LeBaron