Youth as active citizens in Africa / Youth as partners in African society
UNESCO Strategy on African Youth (2009-2013)
Youth are key partners in Africa’s development. With its Strategy on African Youth, UNESCO, together with global and regional partners, including youth organizations, seeks to enable young women and men to drive change in their countries and communities.
The Strategy promotes youth civic engagement and innovation as a way to empower young people to contribute to peace and development in Africa, to help them make successful transitions from school to the workplace, and to prevent violence.
Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General, recognized the important role of youth in her message for the launch of the UN International Year of Youth:
“Our goal is to harness the potential of youth as partners for development and peace […] Young people must be given opportunities to participate as respected partners in decision-making and action at all levels”.
12 August 2010 [PDF, 129 KB]
Therefore, the three main objectives of the Strategy are to:
- Strengthen knowledge of, and promote research on, youth issues in Africa.
- Foster the development of policies and frameworks, in line with the provisions of the African Youth Charter, to address youth issues in Africa.
- Promote youth participation in decision-making, youth civic engagement and social inclusion.
UNESCO is not acting alone in this Strategy. We’re calling on all relevant stakeholders to work together in putting the Strategy into practice, so that actions are aligned and we can focus on common strategic goals.
If you are an
- African Member State
- Non-African Member State
- Youth Organization
- Non-Governmental Organization
- UN-Agency or Intergovernmental Organization
- Private Sector organization
we want your help! Get involved! How to participate ...
Contact youth(at)unesco.org.