After leading change in the 2011 revolution, and being the majority of the Egyptian
population, young Egyptians became the focus of much attention. Youth empowerment and
participation in shaping the future of their country became one of the primary concerns after the
revolution. The research purpose is to identify the extent to which youth aspirations and dreams
are incorporated in the process of public policy making.
The research takes the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Ministry of Manpower and
Migration as a case study to see their role and experience in institutionalizing youth aspirations in
the national public policy and the challenges involved in this process. The study particularly
addresses the activities that took place towards this objective with particular focus on the Egyptian
Youth Parliament at Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Development of the National Action
Plan for youth Employment at Ministry of Manpower and Migration. In addition, the study dwells
into how civil society organizations, both local and international, perceive the efforts done towards
this objective and their contribution in the process.
The study builds on qualitative research methods in the form of in-depth interviews, and
desk review of reviews related to national youth policies. The interviews were conducted with
different stakeholders that were both influenced by and influencing the issue of focus in the current
situation. These include: Representatives from the Ministry of Youth, Ministry of Manpower and
Migration, civil society organizations, and from international organizations.
The analysis shows that an institutional framework to include youth aspirations in the
public policy process is lacking in Egypt. Yet, there are some successful experience that can be
replicated with the support of the international organizations and civil society. The thesis proposed
a set of recommendations that could provide an institutional mechanism and framework to make
sure youth aspirations are always included in the policy process.