journalistiek over mondiale samenwerking

Creating jobs for young people is one of the biggest challenges facing countries across Africa, the Middle East and beyond. Governments, businesses, investors and development organisations invest significant resources in training programmes, entrepreneurship initiatives and employment projects. Yet creating sustainable jobs at scale remains difficult.

On 9 July, the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) and Vice Versa invite you to a Café Dialogue on what actually works when it comes to creating jobs for young people.

Drawing on seven years of practical experience, but looking well beyond any single programme, the discussion will bring together policymakers, businesses, investors, researchers and development practitioners to explore what drives job creation, where common assumptions fall short, and what this means for the future of international cooperation.

But what if some of our most widely held assumptions about job creation are wrong?

What to expect

• A provocative keynote challenging common assumptions about youth employment

• A panel discussion featuring perspectives from business, investment, government and research

• Interactive table discussions on key questions shaping the future of youth employment

• Concrete recommendations for policymakers, investors and development practitioners

• Networking with professionals from across sectors

Key discussion themes

• Are we investing too much in training and not enough in employers?

• Can social enterprises create jobs at the scale we need?

• Are donors asking businesses to do things that make little commercial sense?

• What matters most for job creation: supporting individual businesses or strengthening entire markets?

This event is the first in a series of two Café Dialogues leading up to the CFYE Final Conference in November 2026. The discussions will also contribute to the broader Dutch debate on the future of international cooperation, including the forthcoming advice of the Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV).

Date: 9 July 2026
Time: 15:00 – 17:00 (walk-in from 14:30, followed by networking drinks)
Location: Het Koorenhuis, Prinsegracht 27, The Hague

Register

Please register via the following form:

https://forms.gle/LPVMUHaUyFpjKcht7

Updates in regards to the programme will follow soon.

We look forward to welcoming you in The Hague.