
RISE LAB EIL 2025: Phase I - Igniting Youth Potential in Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon through Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Economic Resilience
The initiative aims to enhance food security, create sustainable food systems, and generate employment by equipping young entrepreneurs with tools to launch impactful agribusiness ventures.
The programme on Emergency Assistance for Women and Youth in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon: Promoting Food, Economic Security, and Peace through Entrepreneurship aims to empower youth in Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon to address food insecurity and stimulate local employment by equipping them with entrepreneurial, technical, and innovation skills. Structured in three progressive phases, it begins with a self-paced online training on entrepreneurship and food security, followed by advanced planning and project development, and culminates in an intensive bootcamp for a number of finalists to launch practical solutions. The initiative targets a total of 120,000 beneficiaries through direct training, peer exchanges, and partnerships, promoting climate-smart agribusiness practices, public-private collaboration, and sustainable livelihoods to build resilient food systems and inclusive economic growth.
Participants will gain entrepreneurial, technical, and leadership skills to develop sustainable businesses, apply climate-smart practices, and form partnerships that strengthen food value chains.
The 12-month programme includes online training, mentoring, and a VentureLab in Japan, moving from fundamentals of entrepreneurship to advanced agribusiness strategy and project incubation.
The training combines self-paced online modules, live webinars, coaching, mentoring, and a final in-person VentureLab, designed with adult-learning principles and low-bandwidth accessibility.
The programme targets 500 motivated youth aged 18–40 from Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon, with a focus on women and those in conflict-affected areas, aiming for ripple effects to reach tens of thousands more.
Delivered by UNITAR’s Division for Prosperity, the programme leverages regional and Japanese partners, diaspora support, and UNITAR alumni, ensuring sustainability, inclusivity, and alignment with multiple SDGs.