“Parlons Développement”: Awaken and Nurture a Culture of Debate and Dialogue on Development Topics for Moroccan Youth

At the World Bank (WB), the issue of youth and its future is a priority, and is at the heart of our programming, regardless of the country with which the WB is working. Youth is one of the most precious treasures a country can have, and it is essential to include their voices and ideas in discussions of global development.

The initial idea behind the "Parlons Développement" initiative (PD), created in 2021, was to sow seeds in universities and civil society organizations to cultivate a culture of dialogue on development topics among young Moroccans and enable youth to contribute to the debate on the challenges of sustainable development and post-COVID-19 recovery while taking the 2030 Agenda, the SDGs, and the Morocco New Development Model as a basis for reflection.

Five years after its launch, the project has impacted young people and the initiative's ecosystem beyond expectations. "Parlons développement" went to several cities to meet young talents", said Nezha Larhrissi, President of e-Stem, a Moroccan civil society organization and panelist in the 16^th edition of "Parlons Développement" on digital and innovation in Ifrane. "When talking about innovation, we evoke diversity, co-creation, and for me, this is the very DNA of "Parlons Développement." I thank this initiative for going out in the regions because we have gold nuggets hidden everywhere."

The PD series is, above all, about strong partnerships at different levels. The first level of partnership is between the project's initiators and organizers: the WB, the UNDP, and the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS - a Moroccan think tank aiming to contribute to the improvement of economic and social public policies in Morocco and the rest of Africa as integral parts of the global South).

For each edition, the WB, the UNDP, and the PCNS (the Steering Committee) form a strategic partnership with a national public or private university or a civil society organization. Together, they identify a pertinent local or national development issue for discussion. The Steering Committee then facilitates a dialogue between youth-comprising university students or young members of the civil society organization-and a diverse group of experts. These experts may include representatives from government, civil society, the private sector, academia, or the organizing institutions themselves. The discussions cover a wide range of themes critical to Morocco's future, including jobs and employability, territorial innovation, development strategies for oasis areas, water management, and the challenges of citizenship education.

The issue of employment is one of the initiative's key themes, for obvious reasons: it is of great interest to young Moroccans. The topic has been approached from several angles, including green jobs, entrepreneurship as an alternative to traditional employment, the aspirations of young people and the demands of the labor market, as well as the role of local communities in creating jobs for youth.

As the youth population and their influence continue to expand, it is crucial to strategically engage them in decision-making processes at the earliest opportunity. "Youth are the future, and we must support them, train them, open up prospects for them, and, above all, enable them to contribute their ideas to public policies," explains Pr. Lahcen Kabiri, Focal Point at Errachidia University for Edition #5 on the development of the oasis area. "Youth need to have a view on public policies and what's going on and how they can contribute."

To date, 24 editions have been organized in 23 different cities, mobilizing more than 40,000 young people (who took part in both face-to-face and virtual sessions), 29 partners, including public and private universities and civil society organizations, and more than a hundred of regional/local speakers and experts familiar with the specific features of the geographical area hosting the event, as well as national and international experts.

The dialogue format is simple, accessible, and innovative, demystifying and democratizing development concepts and encouraging audience interaction. Sessions are live-streamed and open to a broader audience. Discussions are imbued with realism, reflecting young Moroccans' real concerns and hopes for their future. These dialogues have also helped break down invisible barriers between the academic and real worlds, facilitating a freer flow of ideas and pragmatic solutions to development issues.

DEVELOPMENT TOPICS AS A BASIS FOR DIALOGUE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

Universities are key partners in this project, offering a wealth of debate thanks to the diversity of their disciplines and their privileged access to regional and local players. This partnership also ensures the neutrality of the debates, as the Steering Committee jointly selects the themes for the dialogues in consultation with the partner university. The chosen theme considers the territorial characteristics of the university's region, ensuring that participants identify the topics discussed as local challenges. And it's essential to mobilize experts who know their territory better than anyone else, who know what can work for them, what's in tune with the reality of their population, along with national and international experts for perspective.

"It was an opportunity to identify initiatives and sectors that offer jobs in our region, especially in agriculture and fishing. May this experience inspire us to continue working together for a more sustainable and inclusive future," explains Yassine Ait Oumzil, Student, Agadir University, Faculté Ait Melloul, Edition #13 on Green Jobs.

Development is everyone's business, and the initiative's principle is not to limit itself to the universities of the Rabat-Casablanca axis but to reach out and engage with youth across regions. The initiative has traveled to many Moroccan cities, including Oujda, Errachidia, Meknes, Fez, Ifrane, Tetouan, Agadir, Marrakech, Khouribga, and Beni Mellal, and continues to expand. PD also means putting youth on the same level as the experts so that each can benefit from the other's knowledge, opinions, and experience. It's an intergenerational dialogue where age and status no longer matter, and only ideas count!

THE PARLONS DÉVELOPPEMENT ECOSYSTEM AND THE CREATION OF A STRONG COMMUNITY

The strength of PD lies in the community that has developed over time across universities and localities, whether among young people, civil society, or experts, who together form a most interesting ecosystem.

"What was particularly striking about this event was the diversity of speakers and the wealth of their perspectives, from government and civil society representatives to gender experts and survivors of violence," says Sarah Elbaz, a student at Casablanca University, Ain Choq Faculty, Edition #12 on Gender-Based Violence. "I'd like to emphasize the atmosphere of inclusion and solidarity that reigned throughout the event and the collective will to end violence. This event was truly a catalyst for action. PD was a driving force for awareness."

In the immediate future, the plan is to build on the initial dialogues started in universities, extending the network to reach more young people. The format has evolved since the first editions and tries to encourage greater involvement and interactivity from one edition to the next. With each edition, the dialogue and sharing of knowledge and experience go further, and young people are increasingly equipped for more qualitative debates. The PD initiative has made a lasting mark bringing the voices and ideas of a new generation into dialogue on global development.