Youth development is critical to building a more prosperous, peaceful, and sustainable world. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has recently announced the 2023 Class of Young Global Leaders, which includes several distinguished leaders from the Arab region.

The program will feature nearly 100 promising young leaders under the age of 40, with 13 of them originating from the Middle East and North Africa region. Some noteworthy regional figures include Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, the Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan, the head of UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators.

Other participants from the Arab region include Moath Alnaeem, co-founder and chief investment officer of Alpha Capital from Saudi Arabia, Wafa Al Obaidat, chief executive of Obai and Hill from Bahrain, and Idan Roll, Member of the Knesset from Israel. These individuals will join a community of over 1,400 Young Global Leaders and alumni from more than 120 countries. They will engage in a three-year leadership development program designed to support their growth as leaders.

Notably, previous forum members have gone on to become Nobel prize recipients, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, heads of state, and Grammy Award winners.

Other local leaders part of the 2022 batch include H.E. Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, UAE, Ola Doudin, co-founder and chief executive, BitOasis, UAE, Amal Enan, chief investment officer, American University in Cairo, and more.