ABU DHABI — Following the global impact of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, and in response to the aspirations of Arab youth to play a greater role in the development of solutions for the future, the Arab Youth Center Wednesday announced the launch of the Arab Youth Hackathon. The challenge aims to enhance the contribution of young people in finding solutions to the most pressing issues impacting the world in the present exceptional circumstances. The inaugural edition of the Arab Youth Hackathon is being held over a three-week duration from May 12-31 under the theme ‘Youth’s role in times of Crises’. Organized in partnership with a group of Arab and international institutions that work with youth, the hackathon aims to stimulate the contributions of Arab youth in various categories and areas of specialization to share their ideas and provide innovative solutions and proposals. In doing so, the young people are required to leverage technological solutions to help Arab societies overcome the challenges they face in the prevailing global landscape. The top three winners will receive financial awards to support the transformation of their ideas into successful projects on ground. The Crown Prince Foundation of Jordan, the hackathon’s regional strategic partner, the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Egypt, the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Bahrain, and the Youth Public Authority in Kuwait, are participating in the largest of its kind Arab initiative being implemented in cooperation with Accenture, Arab Youth Hackathon’s innovation partner. The Arab Youth Hackathon is inviting the participation of tech-savvy young people up to the age of 35, in six challenges spanning six vital domains that are relevant to the future of youth and Arab societies. The categories include education, economics, food security, social responsibility, healthcare, and employment. Interested participants can fill out the submission form and send in three-minute video entries in Arabic, introducing themselves and their projects online via the Arab Youth Center website. All entries must include a clear, sustainable and actionable technical idea and plan of implementation. The announcement of the winners will take place at a live event in the second week of June, with the three best ideas from across the six challenges being declared the winners. Arab Youth Center officials and other organizers will join the ceremony to award prizes to the three winners. Shamma Bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, minister of state for youth affairs and vice president of the Arab Youth Center, said, "With the rise of distance learning and remote work options, and due to the exceptional health conditions the world is currently facing, technologically empowered youth are in prime position to innovation, create and contribute to leading safe exit efforts from the ongoing challenges through leveraging cutting-edge, innovative solutions. “In doing so, they can help restore economic stability to our world, and activate future development paths following this global health crisis." Ayman Bin Tawfiq Al Moayed, minister of youth and sport affairs in Bahrain, said that youth have a key role in post-COVID-19 recovery plans to get development back on track with their determination and capabilities. For his part, Saeed Al-Nazari, director-general of the federal youth authority, chief strategy officer of the Arab Youth Center and member of the national committee for the sustainable development goals in the UAE, said, "The Arab Youth Hackathon is the first open platform of its kind for Arab youth to share its views and visions of the solutions required to overcome the challenges we are facing today. “The careful selection of the six vital sectors — education, economics, food security, social responsibility, health, and employment — testify to the relevance and strategic impact the hackathon is set to have in finding viable solutions for sustainable development." For her part, Dr. Tamam Mango, CEO of the Crown Prince’s Foundation in Jordan, said, "The decision of the Crown Prince’s Foundation to support the Arab Youth Hackathon initiative as regional strategic partner is aimed at stimulating the contribution of Jordan’s young people to development efforts to support the countries of the world in combating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic." Abdul Rahman Al-Mutairi, director-general of Kuwait’s Public Authority for Youth, PAY, said, "Kuwaiti youth demonstrate exceptional awareness in dealing with this global challenge and they will continue their efforts to work with their counterparts in the Arab world to provide the best solutions and proposals to reduce the consequences of this global challenge. Within the six tracks identified by Arab Youth Hackathon, PAY will dedicate its efforts to this initiative and to the success of its aspirations to serve Arab societies." The assessment panel consisting of independent members and representatives of the institutions participating in organizing the initiative will supervise the evaluation of youth participations after the closing of the door for participation during the first week of June, according to five basic criteria; namely, originality, innovation, application, sustainability, and relevance to the challenge. Winners of the Arab Youth Hackathon will be announced in a live digital event in the second week of June, with the participation of officials from the Arab Youth Center and the partners supporting the initiative, where the three top winners will be awarded. — WAM