TRES\006\11\2015: THEMATIC RESOLUTION ON INCLUSION OF AFRICAN YOUTHS
TRES\006\11\2015: THEMATIC RESOLUTION ON INCLUSION OF AFRICAN YOUTHS
We, the participants of the Forum on the Participation of NGOs in the 57thOrdinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the 31st African Human Rights Book fair held in Banjul, The Gambia from 31st October–2nd November 2015;
Recalling the African Youth Charter which provides a comprehensive framework for the protection and promotion of the rights of youth and for their empowerment and the building of their capacities and leadership, to enable them to take up their rightful place as active agents in decision-making and governance; and providing for the needs and aspirations of young displaced persons, refugees, women and youth with special needs;
Recalling Goal 15 of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 towards engaged and empowered youth in Africa, and other AU standards and mechanisms targeting the youth, including NEPAD’s Strategic Framework for Youth Programme and commitments made in commemoration of Africa Youth Day on 1 November 2015;
Considering the recognition by African States to the Youth Charter, that Africa’s greatest resource is its youthful population and that through their active and full participation, Africans can surmount the difficulties that lie ahead; and that youth are partners, assets and a prerequisite for sustainable development and for the peace and prosperity of Africa with a unique contribution to make to the present and to future development;
Noting with concern as in the Charter, the human rights situation of African youth, many of whom are marginalised from mainstream society through inequalities in income, wealth, power and access, unemployment and underemployment, infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, living in situations of poverty and hunger, experiencing illiteracy and poor quality educational systems, restricted access to health services and to information, exposure to violence including gender violence, engaging in armed conflicts and experiencing various forms of discrimination and harmful cultural practices;
The NGOS Forum calls upon the African Commission to:
- create structures to enable the participation of youth movements, that are not registered as NGOs, in African Commission processes;
- take concrete steps towards the elimination of obstacles for youth participation at national, regional and continental levels;
- in particular, push for the appointments of ACHPR and AUC Commissioners who are within the youth age bracket of 18 – 35;
- highlight the human rights situation of young women who face structural and cultural barriers to meeting their full potential, for example, by reason of early marriages, FGM and discrimination;
- call on Member States to provide adequate resources towards the creation of sufficient institutions for youth education and towards guaranteeing the quality of all educational and technical institutions;
- call on Member States to provide resources, capacity and opportunities for youth employment and entrepreneurship;
- promote the free movement of African youth throughout the continent including the removal of obstacles to the free movement of youth across the continent;
- highlight in their promotional and protection activities, the particular situation faced by youth human rights defenders and youth in conflict, including their vulnerability to recruitment into terrorism.
Done in Banjul, The Gambia – 2nd November, 2015
