Press release
Unesco Multisectoral Regional Office for West-Africa Sahel, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Trust-Africa, CODESRIA, ARTICLE 19, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the NGO women Africa solidarity through its Pan-African Centre for Gender, Peace and Development (Faspac), the Gambian National Commission for Unesco (Natcom-Gambia) are co-organising with the Pan-African Youth Organisations (PAYNCOP – AYC – AAPI), the third African regional youth forum scheduled to take place in Banjul (Forum-Banjul+3), in close collaboration with the Gambian authorities.
This prestigious African youth consultation, which is in line with the organisers’ efforts to promote respect for political commitment, democracy, governance, human rights and guaranteed freedoms; social cohesion, conflict prevention, peace and security, will bring together young leaders from all over Africa from 28 to 30 October 2019 in Banjul to discuss the role of African youth in peace building and conflict resolution.
The Unesco operational strategy for Africa priority (2014-2021) and the operational strategy for youth (2014-2021) provide a broad framework for engaging with the African Union (AU) and the regional economic communities (RECs), particularly in the resolution of youth problems. The intergenerational issue and youth rights are also part of the cross cutting questions and challenges addressed by CODESRIA, throughout its strategic plan (2017- 2021). It informs about the prospects targeted by OHCR, Trust Africa, Faspac, Gambia NAT-COM and the other partners.
Unesco and its partners acknowledge that young women and men hold creativity and potential, to drive change things for themselves, their own societies and the world. These three days of reflection and intergenerational dialogue will provide an opportunity to collect the points of view and solutions recommended by young women and men leaders from all regions of Africa.
The conversations will focus on such important issues as political and civic engagement of young people, the culture of peace, democracy, governance, human rights and guaranteed freedoms. The conversations will focus on such important issues as political and civic engagement of young people, the culture of peace, democracy, governance, human rights and guaranteed freedoms.
The young participants will also discuss equally strategic themes such as the Future of Education, a prospective approach to youth employment as well as climate change, migration and artificial intelligence and the digital revolution. African youth leaders will thus discuss with public decision-makers in order to agree on the best way to ensure their necessary involvement in guiding the ongoing social transformations and achieving the objectives of the UN’s 2030 and African Union’s 2063 agendas.
The opening ceremony will be chaired by the Vice-President of The Gambia, Dr Isatou Touray, in attendance of the director of the Unesco Regional Office in Dakar, Mr Dimitri Sanga and very high national and international authorities.
