Experts at the International Conference on Youth and
Democratization which kicked off in Addis Ababa today agreed that
African youth are in the vanguard of political and governance changes in
the continent.
In a statement at the opening session of the Conference, Mr. Carlos
Lopes, UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) stated that it is essential to
promote youth participation in political processes and decision-making.
“We
must provide the youth with quality education that equips them with the
skills to function in the modern economy,” he said. “In the same vein,
we also have to give our youth a clear and uplifting vision of Africa;
our youth have to be able to relate to our aspirations for African unity
and economic integration. They also need proper engagement in order to
appreciate Africa’s potential and what their own contribution can be,”
Mr. Lopes added.
Mr. Vitalie Muntean, Deputy Country Director of
Operations in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Mr.
Redwan Hussien, Public Mobilization and Participation Advisor to
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister; and Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Secretary General of
the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) also
addressed the opening session of International Conference on Youth and
Democratization.
Mr. Vitalie Muntean, Deputy Country Director of
Operations in UNDP speaking on behalf the Resident Representative, Mr.
Eugene Owusu, said “We should all prioritize education as the primary
gateway to gainful youth employment and empowerment and equality must be
ensured in both education and employment between young men and women as
well as between rural and urban youth”.
Mr. Vidar Helgesen,
Secretary General of the Institute for Democracy and Electoral
Assistance (IDEA) noted that youth participation and youth
representation needs to be at the level of government and at the level
of international organization.
"But the key responsibilities rest
with young people - to get organized, to achieve the skills, to face up
to the adversity and the frustrations that will eventually come when
moving from protest to participation - but to really not give up the
ultimate promise of youth participation in democratic processes because
they can be a powerful force for changing governance."
Mr.
Redwan Hussien, Public Mobilization and Participation Advisor to
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister who officially opened the meeting referred to
the Sierra Leone and South African Soweto uprisings to illustrate how
active the African youth were to uphold the principles of democracy and
good governance in their countries.
“I firmly believe that this
Conference will afford us an opportunity to reflect on the ways in which
we can provide a balanced and equitable environment for our youth so
they could deliver their best for the development of our societies, said
Mr. Redwan.
The speakers at the opening session all praised the
African Union for enacting the African Youth Charter and for agreeing to
accelerate implementation of the Plan of Action for the Decade of
Youth.
The International Conference on Youth on the theme: “Youth
and Democratization in Africa: Lessons Learned and Comparative
Experiences is a joint initiative of the Economic Commission for Africa
(ECA), the United Nations Development Programme and the International
Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and is scheduled
to be held from 1-3 November 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According
to the organizers, the outcomes of the conference include increased
knowledge on the role of youth in democratization process across
countries and regions in Africa; better policy options on mainstreaming
youth in institutional, political, democratization and governance
processes in African countries; enhanced policy discourse on youth
economic empowerment in Africa; and the articulation of immediate and
future strategic engagement of youth in promoting sustainable democracy
and economic development in Africa. The forum is co-organized by ECA,
International IDEA and UNDP.
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