Dialogue of Executive Secretaries with ECOSOC 2012 on Regional Perspective on youth and DevelopmentYouth, Governance and Leadership 10 July 2012

Outline African Moment Importance of Youth in African Development Challenges Policy Response

African Moment Increasing faith and belief that Africa is on the rise Credible economic performance of the continent & demonstrated changes in the area of governance With enormous natural resources, demographic advantages, better macro-economic management: Africa has potential as a pole of global growth Capacity, will and determination to make Africa a global player that can contribute to global prosperity and associated processes African youth to be inspired and provided with opportunities to contribute to the development and transformation of our continent.

Importance of Youth in African Development African Youth in vanguard of political and governance changes: Youth contributed to anti-colonial struggle and against apartheid Youth led the Arab Spring in Tunisia, Egypt and Lybia. Africa youth bulge to remain until 2050 Youth will also be needed to play a critical role in sustaining Africa moment In particular, Africa requires human capital to power its economic progress and achieve sustained development in the 21st century Young people are crucial drivers of progress and socio-economic development

Challenges Marginalization of youth: Not part of policy formulation processes or designs of programmes Age discrimination when it comes to jobs Access to land and credit facilities Channel their energies into productive uses Youth unemployment (over 20%) and underemployment (Rural area) Lack of structured opportunities for political participation: Their voice and ideas not heard and used Lack of opportunity to exercise leadership Education being provided is not preparing youth for the modern economy.

Policy Response Critical Factors of success in policy making aimed at responding effectively to challenges of Youth, Governance and Leadership Need to invest and partner with the youth (High quality education, gainful employment, infrastructure and science and technology) African Youth Charter was adopted at the AU Head of States and Governments to improve youth participation in all spheres of society including decision-making at all levels of governance and civic life Other frameworks at regional level include the African Decade Plan of Action and AUC-ECA-AfDB Initiative on Youth Employment ECA, in partnership with International IDEA, is organizing a major international conference on Youth and Democratization in Africa: Comparative Experiences and Lessons Learned in October 2012 Several African countries have established National Youth Councils, Youth Employment Schemes and Youth Parliaments

Policy Response, contd Enhancing youth skills and opportunities in overall development processes at regional and sub-regional level: Examine trends and current situation of young people in Africa Promote awareness among regional and national policy-makers about the need to mainstream youth perspectives in their development planning Upscale support to programmes that address the needs of young people in the priority areas of the UN World Programme of Action for Youth Strengthen the capacity of policy makers to analyze the effectiveness of existing youth-related policy frameworks in Africa Involve youth representatives in governance processes such as the African Peer Review Mechanism

Thank You