THANDISIZWE MGUDLWA l Thursday, August 18, 2022
CAPE TOWN, South Africa – In joining hands with the youth in celebration of International Youth Day, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat declared, “I encourage all Youth to keep advocating, championing and driving change in their communities as we journey towards achieving the Africa We Want”.
In commemoration of International Youth Day, this week the Office of the African Union Chairperson’s Youth Envoy, hosted an academic webinar with The Africa Center for Strategic Studies and The African Union’s Youth4Peace Africa Program.
The AU noted that the academic webinar was aimed at assessing the magnitude and scope of security risks and opportunities associated with the youth bulge in Africa and discussing the role of youth in promoting security and peace.
Over 500 participants drawn from 68 countries and across sectors including the private sector, military, civil society, government ministries and youth groups had registered for the webinar which was held under International Youth Day theme ‘Building Intergenerational Solidarity.’
Moreover, the AUC Chairperson’s Envoy on Youth, Chido Mpemba in giving remarks alluded to the need to demystify the security sector for young people and to create pathways for young people to dialogue and contribute towards peace building.
“Young people are a useful resource that must be meaningfully included in peace and security decisions, policy frameworks and accountability mechanisms. They are part of the solution to combat the security challenges and must be rightfully given the voice”, said Mpemba.
Furthermore, the Academic Webinar was opened by Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for The African Union Political Affairs Peace and Security, who gave his assurance to young people and spoke on the commitments of the Peace and Security Council to create pathways for continuous engagement with the youth, as well as some of the commitments made by the African Union through the implementation of mechanisms such as the continental framework on Youth, Peace and Security affirming the roles and responsibilities that the youth play in conflicts, acknowledging protection efforts and promoting their contributions towards peace efforts.
According to the AU, the Academic webinar will build on a series to highlight some of the African Union Continental frameworks, providing a platform for engagement, peer learning and sharing.
