More than 500 hundred youth from Africa and the Diaspora begin a five-day meeting on Monday in Dakar, Senegal, to exchange ideas on the issue of youth unemployment in the UN post-2015 agenda.
The debate is organized as part of the 4th pan-African summit of the young leaders of the continent and the Diaspora, an initiative of the network of young African and African Diaspora leaders (ROJALNU) in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN joint program on HIV/AIDS.
The meeting will offer a platform for the young leaders to exchange groundbreaking ideas on the new sustainable development stakes facing the African continent and advocate for a better place for the youth in the United Nations post-2015 agenda.
“We are greatly concerned about the issue of youth unemployment and we plan to share recommendations with youth from across the globe in September 2014 in New York, USA”, Mr Alioune Gueye, the Chairman of the pan-African youth network, said.
It would be recalled that Africa which is populated by 200 million people has a highly-young population aged between 15 and 24 with an estimated total of 73 per cent of young job seekers.
Other issues including demographic dividend, gender-based violence, the reproductive health of youth and teenagers, the new information and communication technology are also to be tackled during the summit under the auspices of the Senegalese president, Macky Sall and his Malian counterpart Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
A prize dubbed “Protège le goal” (Protect the goal) is to be awarded to the most acclaimed youth in terms of contribution for the development of the continent.
Several Senegalese artistes, organizers confirmed, are expected to perform on 15 January 2014 at the Senegal’s Grand National Theatre.
Those nominated for the prize include Liberian president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Senegalese singers Baba Maal and Akon and the President of the Confederation of African Football, (CAF) Issa Hayatou.
