Burundi just hosted a successful continental dialogue on youth, peace and security
RegionWeek Newsletter Vol VI, Issue #206 | Monday, April 25, 2022
Dear RegionWeek Readers,
From Saturday, April 23, 2022, Burundi hosted at Club du Lac Tanganyika in Bujumbura, a 3-day continental dialogue on Youth, peace, and security with the African Union Youth Ambassadors for Peace from dozens of African nationalities under the theme: "Young people, let's unite our talents and our strength for peace, security and sustainable and inclusive development in Africa".
The continental dialogue received the Delegates of the African Union, the African Union Special Envoy for Youth, Ms. Chido Mpemba, the Minister in charge of East African Community Affairs, and Amb. Ezechiel Nibigiraa and Amb. Willy Nyamitwe, the Permanent Representative of Burundi to the African Union.
Thousands of young Burundians and the Young Ambassadors for Peace within the African Union got an opportunity to conduct the exchanges of experiences and Good local practices in the supervision and inclusion of young people. They recognized that entrepreneurship and patriotism are real ramparts against the unhealthy instrumentalization of young people in conflicts and crises.
In his speech the Minister in charge of Youth, Amb. Ezechiel Nibigira hailed the firm commitment of the African Union to the achievement of the objectives of the Youth, Peace, and Security agenda, at the level of Burundi in particular.
Amb. Chido Cleo Mpemba, the African Union Special Envoy for Youth, commended the government of Burundi for its contribution to the capacity development of young Burundians.
"In Burundi, young people are taken into account in decision-making regarding the country's sustainable development. They participate in the development of solutions to existing problems. This is also our journey with young people for the agenda 2063" she said
Dr. Thierry Ingabire, President of the National Youth Council, in his speech thanked President Evariste Ndayishimiye, for his support for the development of young Burundians.
"Burundi takes the empowerment of young people to heart because they drive the engine of sustainable development in the country," he mentioned
We have a war against poverty
The closing ceremony of these meetings this Monday was officiated by the President of the Republic Evariste Ndayishimiye and coincided with the holding of the 1080th meeting of the Peace and Security Council. The Head of State of Burundi was acclaimed Champion of the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda for his exceptional action in favor of young people in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals.
In this regard, President Evariste Ndayishimiye reaffirmed that Burundi has chosen its war, that of the fight against poverty with young people on the front line because "there is no peace without development" :
"As leaders and decision-makers, we must match words with deeds by giving space and means to young Africans to contribute to building a peaceful and prosperous Africa," he said
In his capacity as Guest of Honor, HE Evariste Ndayishimiye then participated in the 1080th meeting of the Peace and Security Council also held in hybrid mode on Youth, Peace, and Security, to which the Representatives of the Member States are invited as well as HE Parfait Onanga Onyanga, UN Special Envoy to the AU, who insisted on the need to make more efforts for the political participation of young people on the African continent:
“Young people no longer want to be the subject of discussion, they want to be at the discussion table and co-actors of their destiny”.
The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations also praised the extraordinary work done by President Evariste Ndayishimiye and personally endorsed the wish of young Africans to appoint him Promoter of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda; which would make Bujumbura the capital of African Youth.
In his speech during this meeting of the PSC, President Evariste Ndayishimiye welcomed the involvement of African youth in the reflection on issues related to peace, security, and development, which are interdependent and intrinsically linked.
The Head of State congratulated the Peace and Security Council for its tireless efforts, on behalf of all the Member States of the African Union, in preventing, managing, and resolving the crises and conflicts that often mourn Africa and prevent it from developing peacefully.
The 1080th meeting of the PSC adopted the Bujumbura Declaration on Youth, Peace, and Security.
About the African Youth Ambassadors for Peace (AYAP)
As part of the efforts to advance the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agenda of the African Union (AU), the Peace and Security Department (now the Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department, PAPS), launched the Youth for Peace (Africa) Program (Y4P) in September 2018, with the primary objective of facilitating the meaningful participation of African youth in all spectrum of peace and security and dissuading their participation in violence.
To enhance youth participation in the peace and security agenda on the continent, the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) during its 807th meeting requested the AU Commission to appoint five regional African Youth Ambassadors for Peace (AYAP) to work with the AU Youth Envoy in championing the promotion of peace and security on the continent.
The AYAPs, working under the direct supervision of the leadership of PAPS of the AUC shall champion the promotion and advocacy of youth participation in peace and security issues at the regional level and across Africa. Specifically, the AYAPs will promote the actualization of the five priorities of the Continental Framework on Youth, Peace, and Security (CFYPS), which are guided by Article 17 of the AU Youth Charter (2006) and the United Nations Security Council Resolution Council (UNSCR) 2250 (2015), 2419 (2018) and 2535 (2020).
Thanks for reading!
Fabrice Iranzi, Editor in Chief | RegionWeek.com