LocationsUNDP and AGF convene regional experts and partners in Cairo to advance innovative financing for youth resilience and inclusion
June 22, 2026
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Arab States and the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation (AGF) convened the third event of their regional Thought Leadership Series (TLS) in Cairo on 18 May 2026 under the theme “Unlocking Innovative Financing for Resilience: Youth, Skills, and Inclusion in Egypt.”
The event brought together stakeholders from government, philanthropy, development institutions, the private sector, academia, investors, and social enterprises to explore how innovative financing and catalytic philanthropy can better support youth empowerment, economic resilience, entrepreneurship, and inclusive development in Egypt and across the Arab States region.
Hosted at Shabab Balad Academy in Cairo, the workshop forms part of the AGF-UNDP partnership to advance resilience-based development and strengthen the role of strategic philanthropy, particularly in addressing challenges faced by youth and displacement-affected communities.
Opening remarks highlighted the need to move beyond short-term, project-based funding toward more sustainable approaches that build long-term resilience. Speakers emphasized that youth unemployment, skills gaps, economic pressures, and climate stress are deeply interconnected challenges - while rapid technological change presents both a challenge and a critical opportunity. Responding effectively requires integrated responses across education, financing, entrepreneurship, and employment ecosystems that enable young people to adapt, innovate, and thrive.
Danah Dajani, Senior Vice President for External and Institutional Engagements at AGF, underlined the importance of shifting philanthropy from funding activities toward enabling systems change. Mostafa Ezz El Arab, Associate Minister of Youth and Sports in Egypt, stressed the importance of strong partnerships between government, civil society, development actors, and the private sector to ensure that programmes extend beyond single funding cycles. Ghimar Deeb, UNDP Egypt Deputy Resident Representative, highlighted that investing in youth means investing in Egypt’s future, emphasizing that financing discussions must translate into concrete pathways for decent livelihoods, innovation, and participation for young people across the country.
Discussions in impact investing highlighted a persistent mismatch between the needs of social enterprises and the structure of available capital. Entrepreneurs often require patient, flexible, and long-term financing, combined with mentorship and market-building support, while investors tend to prioritize shorter-term returns and clearer exit pathways. Speakers shared practical experiences from across the entrepreneurial and investment ecosystem. Yara Yassin, co-founder of Up-Fuse, highlighted the challenges social enterprises face in sustaining operations beyond initial grant funding, emphasizing the need for stronger investment readiness and financial literacy. . Yehia Houry, CEO of Flat6Labs, described the “missing middle” between grant funding and commercial investment, stressing the role of catalytic grants, first-loss mechanisms, and accelerators as bridges. Ibrahim Mansour of Catalyst Partners Middle East outlined key constraints to impact investing in Egypt, including currency risk, short investor timelines, and limited platforms connecting development and investment actors. Across the session, speakers agreed that financing alone is insufficient without stronger ecosystem coordination and capacity -building support.
A second session focused on the role of philanthropic actors in unlocking investment and scaling development impact. Speakers stressed that philanthropic capital is uniquely positioned to absorb early-stage risk, support experimentation, and generate evidence to guide effective investments.
Suha Abdul Rahim of Al Fanar Venture Philanthropy described catalytic philanthropy as patient capital focused on long-term outcomes rather than short-term outputs, emphasizing the need to combine financing with governance, capacity-building, and investment readiness. Ennis Rimawi of Catalyst MENA Climate Funds shared examples of blended finance structures in climate infrastructure, demonstrating how relatively small first-loss tranches can leverage larger pools of private capital while supporting employment and resilience. Dr. Ahmed Elsayed of J-PAL MENA highlighted the importance of funding rigorous evidence generation to identify effective and scalable interventions, noting that philanthropy can support better decision-making through data, research, and policy learning. The discussion reinforced that catalytic philanthropy is not only about mobilizing resources, but also about shaping systems, partnerships, and long-term outcomes.
The event concluded with an interactive “Impact Clinic”, showcasing practical examples of innovative finance and resilience programming from across the region. Discussions highlighted the importance of combining innovative financing tools – such as revolving funds and blended finance – with non-financial support, including capacity building, to strengthen resilience in fragile contexts.
Mays Abou Hegab of Sawiris Foundation highlighted the organization’s shift toward evidence-based philanthropy, including adapting poverty graduation models in Egypt through iterative testing. Josh Hooper-Kay from Community Jameel shared examples of philanthropic capital supporting evidence generation, climate-focused financing, and risk-sharing models for microfinance in fragile settings. Shadi Abdel Hadi of Anera Ventures presented revolving financing approaches for MSMEs in Palestine, emphasizing the importance of combining catalytic finance with hands-on business coaching and financial literacy . The discussions underscored that resilience financing in fragile contexts must be adaptive, locally grounded, and paired with practical non-financial support.
Across sessions, several common themes emerged. Participants emphasized the importance of moving “from funding to financing”, calling for more patient and flexible mechanisms aligned with long-term development outcomes. They highlighted the catalytic role of philanthropy in taking early risks, supporting innovation, generating evidence, and crowding in larger public and private investment flows. The importance of stronger partnerships across governments, philanthropy, investors, academia, development actors, and local communities was also underscored to create sustainable pathways for youth inclusion, entrepreneurship, and resilience.
The workshop builds on the momentum of the broader AGF-UNDP Thought Leadership Series, which aims to strengthen regional dialogue and action around strategic philanthropy, resilience-based development, and innovative financing in the Arab States region. Through continued regional exchanges, knowledge generation, and partnerships , the series seeks to help advance more inclusive, locally driven, and sustainable development solutions for youth and communities across the region.
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