Call for Application: AYC Executive Secretary

Position: Executive Secretary

Duration and type: Fixed-term contract (full-time role)

Supervisor: Executive Chairperson 

Citizenship: Candidate should be a citizen and a resident of an African Union member state. The citizens of the Republic of South Africa are not eligible to apply as the current Executive Chairperson of the Commission is a citizen of South Africa

Age: Candidate should be between the ages of 18 and 33 years

Start date: July 1st, 2024

Application deadline: June 24th, 2024

About AYC

The African Youth Commission (AYC) is an independent Pan-African youth network founded by youth leaders to foster synergy amongst youth and youth organisations on the continent and Diaspora. 

Officially inaugurated on January 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the network is determined and committed to provide a space and voice for youth and youth organisations to set and drive their own agenda, promote the involvement of young people as key partners in the implementation of the Africa 2063 Agenda as well the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, support advocacy actions on the ratification and implementation of the African Youth Charter, other youth rights-based legal instruments and contribute to advancing the AU Shared Values through a network of locally based youth actors.

Vision and Mission

• Vision: AYC subscribed to the ideals and Pan African vision of African Union “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.” 

• Mission: Uniting Youth in Action for African Unity and Development. 

Objectives of the Commission are: – 

The Commission shall stand to promote youth driven, unified voice, vibrant and peaceful Africa by;

• Mobilizing resources (human, technical, technology and finance) to support the work of youth and youth structures, Pan African Youth Union, Youth Division of the African Union Commission in their quest to effective service delivery and advocacy activities on African Youth Charter, other AU legal instruments and youth projects at national, regional and continental levels. 
• Linking up youth and existing youth structures at national, regional and continental levels for partnership, collaboration and networking to maximize productivity, and minimize waste of valuable and scarce resources in Africa. 
• Bring youth together on an annual basis to engage in dialogues (policy and inter-generational), share best practices and experiences on obstacles of meaningful youth participation and representation in AU led negotiations at all levels.
• Providing a youth friendly platform for inclusive and effective participation and representation of African youth at the political and operational levels of AU. 
• Lobby and advocate for standalone Youth Division in AUC and ECOSOC Youth Caucus. 
• Facilitate youth networking and exchange at national and international levels. 

Strategic Priorities 

The Strategic priorities of the AYC are structured around five thematic pillars: 

• Pillar 1: AYC Strengthening 
• Pillar 2: Employment and Entrepreneurship 
• Pillar 3: Health and Well-being 
• Pillar 4: Governance and Human Rights including Climate Action as a cross-cutting priority  
• Pillar 5: Peace and Security

Values

The core values of AYC are: 

• Pan Africanism 
• Inclusiveness 
• Transparency 
• Integrity 

The Role – The Executive Secretary

The Executive Secretary serves as the head of the AYC Secretariat reporting and answerable to the Executive Council headed by the Executive Chairperson. She/He is responsible for the day-to-day operations, administration, programmatic, financial, and contact management including handling membership, strategic partnerships and resource mobilisation of the Commission. The Executive Secretary works closely with the Executive Council, Secretariat team, Advisory board, membership (national and regional consortiums), key stakeholders and strategic partners of the Commission across the continent and globally to provide ethical leadership and ensure that the Commission’s governance and programs are responsive, efficient, and aligned with the Commission’s objectives, guiding principles and core values of fostering an environment for inclusivity, transparency, accountability and participatory decision-making while delivering the vision and mission of the Commission. 

Specific Duties and Responsibilities 

The successful candidate shall be responsible for:

1. Leading the AYC Secretariat which includes:  overseeing and managing all aspects of human, material and financial resources including budgeting, staff recruitment, disciplinary, training of personnel and institutional development of the Commission. This involves collaboratively developing and regular reviewing the human resource policy, strategic plan, resource mobilisation strategy, financial policy and internal controls with the team and partners to ensure the Commission’s sound management of resources and long-term sustainability;

• Working collaboratively with staff, programme experts, volunteers, country focal points, members of the Executive Council and Advisory Board, Member Organisations, key stakeholders and strategic partners with common values and interests to plan, organise and implementing activities, projects and programmes for the Commission. This includes leading and collaborating with the wider AYC teams to develop and improve projects and programs of the Commission through regular monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning reviews;

• Working closely with and supporting the membership, Executive Council and Advisory Board to ensure that the governance of the Commission is effective, and a viable strategic plan is in place which is reviewed and improved regularly to maximize the impacts of the Commission’s interventions;

• Initiating, maintaining and developing strong memberships and partnerships of the Commission including resource mobilisation, supporting the collaboration, exchange and communication with stakeholders across the continent, and globally. This includes leading and championing the fundraising and partnerships strategy of the Commission;

• Collaboratively create, review, and develop policies, strategies, procedures, systems and ensure quality delivery, compliance with national laws and regulations, international standards, donor requirements, as well as safeguarding and risk management of the Commission;

• Facilitating and providing technical support to the Executive Council and Advisory Board in relevant meetings, events, consultations, deliberations and negotiations of interest to the Commission, and which involve the government, strategic partners and donors at the national, continental and global level;

• Providing strategic, technical and analytical leadership to the growing network of AYC national and regional initiatives;

• Preparing, plan and execute the annual Pan African Youth Conference on African Unity and Development and General Assembly of AYC to promote and contribute to constructive dialogue on the African unity and development;

• Supporting and overseeing the implementation of communications and visibility strategy of the Commission, ensuring the website, social media, newsletters, annual reports, and mailings out to the members, partners and stakeholders are kept up to date. This includes drafting, checking and promoting the content for quality, greater awareness and visibility.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Required Skills or Competences

The candidate must possess the following skills or competences:

• Passion for youth work and working with young people, highly motivated and self-organised;
• Knowledge and experience in youth political and socio-economic development issues in Africa;
• Experience working with diverse stakeholders – civil society, government, intergovernmental and development partners;
• Strong leadership, results-oriented strategic thinker with strong critical thinking and influencing skills;
• Ability to foster a culture of integrity, accountability and transparency;
• A deep understanding of, and commitment to cultural sensitivity and diversity;
• Knowledge of organisational resource development, and experience in successful fundraising;
• Strong administrative, organisational skills, networking, diplomacy and interpersonalskills;
• Excellent communicator – writing, speaking, presentation, and listening skills;
• Ability to effectively engage with key internal and external stakeholders;
• Computer literacy and strong electronic communication skills;
• Ability to problem solving, adapt to, and work effectively in, a highly dynamic young team environment from a variety of backgrounds and growing organisational setting;
• A high attention to details and ability to multitask, delegate task, manage stress and meet the deadline;
• Fluency in French and/or another official language of the African Union is an added advantage. 
• Experience in organizing and managing teams

Education/Academic Qualification and Professional Experience

The candidate must hold a graduate or undergraduate degree in one of the following fields: Social Sciences, Public or Development Policy, International Development, Economics, Business Administration, Management or other related fields.

Professional Experiences

The candidate must have a minimum of 5 years of progressive professional experience in managing national or international programmes on youth development and youth political or civic engagement, preferably in Africa. Experience in leading and managing a team with a focus on youth advocacy, programming and development in an international organization is highly desirable. 

Additionally, She/ He must have:

1. a Proven experience and technical ability to manage a large project; 
2. a Proven ability to draft, edit and produce written proposals and results-focused reports; 
3. an Effective networking and negotiation skills proven through successful interaction with stakeholders, including senior government officials, regional/local authorities, experts and NGOs/international development communities; and
4. a Demonstrated ability in team leadership, management and collaboration. 

How to apply/ Deadline

Interested candidates are invited to submit their letter of application, detailed curriculum vitae (CV), copy of identification document (national ID or passport) and copies of relevant academic qualifications via this online application form

https://forms.gle/9tNA56uEPAB5WQwz8

Address the cover letter to:

The Executive Chairperson

African Youth Commission 

Banjul, The Gambia

ayc@auyc.org

The cover letter must explain why you are interested in the role, and how your skills and experience comply with the above requirements and make you the right fit for the position. In the CV, provide a functional email address, mobile numbers, and include at least three referee contacts.

Deadline for submission not later than Monday, June 24th, 2024, at 11:59pm GMT.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Download the ToR HERE

Call for Topics: 4th Pan African Youth Conference

The African Youth Commission will be hosting the 4th Pan Youth Conference in March 24 – 28 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The objectives of the conference are to:

·      Create a youth-led open space for young people to interact, promote Pan Africanism and participate in the implementation of African Unity project;

·      Inspire and encourage active youth leadership and participation in social, economic and political spheres at all levels; 

·      Improve inter-generational dialogue and interaction with policy makers to amplify youth voices in policy and decision making processes; 

·      Build alliances and the capacity of youth to influence policies and practices of their National Governments, the African Union, Regional Economic Communities and other youth development actors on the African continent.  

Please find the link for call for topics HERE

AYC organises Africa Regional Break out Session at the ECOSOC Youth Forum in New York

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum took place from 25 to 27 April 2023 in a hybrid format.

The Forum provided a platform for young people to engage in a dialogue with Member States and other actors to voice their views, concerns and galvanize actions on how to transform the world into a fairer, greener and more sustainable place guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Youth Forum addressed the theme of ECOSOC and the 2023 UN High-level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF) on “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at levels”. It also reviewed progress in the areas of clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), and partnerships for the goals (SDG17).

The 2023 ECOSOC Youth Forum was convened by the President of ECOSOC and co-organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), and the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, in collaboration with the United Nations Inter Agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD), and co-convened by the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY) and the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations (ICMYO), with technical inputs from youth-led and youth-focused organizations relevant to the theme of the forum.

Youth leaders from around the world had the opportunity to engage with government representatives, youth delegates, policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in civil society and the private sector.

The AYC together with United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UN-OSAA), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly co-organised the Africa Regional Break out session on the 26th of April 2023.

The 2023 ECOSOC Youth Forum Africa Regional Breakout Session aims to provide young leaders with an
opportunity to engage on how they can concretely contribute to and benefit from an inclusive
implementation of the AfCFTA and the achievement of the SDGs. The session sought to
propose practical solutions to addressing the high youth unemployment rate in Africa by promoting
innovations and youth entrepreneurship, intra-Africa labour mobility and trade. It also aims to
influence policy formulation at the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable
Development (HLPF).

The Meeting Report can be assessed HERE

Download the meeting concept note HERE

Watch the recorded Video HERE

Kenyan Youth roundtable on Climate Change Proposed Amendments Bill of 2023

Kenya youth in the climate change space organised a round table to discuss the Climate Change Amendments Bill, 2023. The Government of Kenya issued a call for comments, proposals and recommendation from the public and interest groups for seeking to amendments the Climate Change Act of 2016 a process that is currently ongoing. The roundtable was organized by Youth Senate Kenya (YSK) the downstream implementing partner for African Youth Commission (AYC) within the African Activists for climate Justice (AACJ) Project. The roundtable took place on 4^th May 2023 at the Royal Tulips Canaan Hotel, Nairobi Kenya. The target participants were drawn from different set of youth with the common interest of climate change, the youth included those who have founded organisations, those working in the Carbon market (Targeted to give guidance on the proposed amendments on Carbon Markets section).

Key issues discussed included the lack of youth centric clauses that took care of their interests if the youth except for the proposal to include the youth in the climate change council, an idea that was lauded but the selection criteria of arriving at the youth with capacity and was missing making it an issue of interest to the meeting. Another issue that came out withing the proposals in fronted to include carbon markets, of interest to the meeting was the lack of youth specific youth interests clearly indicating how they areto be taken care of considering that they are a big constituent of the Kenyan engaged in the climate response work. Another key topic discussed was the clear distinction between the roles of the community, county and national governments not showing clearly how the interests of the communities would be taken care of, one major decision that stood out was the proposals by the Climate Change Amendment Bill of 2023 on the deletion of the schedule involving public participation, this was opposed too by the youth noting that public participation is clearly enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya 2010. 

On the way forward the meeting agreed to form a small team to firm up the recommendation from the meeting in close consultation with the legal team while receiving any other additional views from other youth who did not make it for the meeting and develop a memorandum which will be presented to the ministry in a language and format that is acceptable to the government. Colleagues also agreed to continue with them engagement by forming a WhatsApp group to continue with the momentum created within the meeting. 

The meeting concluded with the appreciation to Youth Senate Kenya, AYC and the entire African Activists for Climate Justice colleagues for the good work that they are doing to empower youth Across the continent. 

Photos Link can be accessed HERE

The African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) Global Coordination Meeting

I. Introduction

The African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) Global Coordination Meeting took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 5th to 11th February 2023. The meeting aimed to bring together the AACJ consortium members to reflect on progress made in year two of implementation and agree on adaptations required for successful implementation of the AACJ program. The following report summarizes the key discussions and takeaways from the event.

II. Background

The AACJ program is a five-year initiative that aims to amplify and unite the voices of African activists calling for climate justice, with a focus on the most vulnerable groups, including women, youth, and local indigenous communities.

 The AACJ consortium comprises several organizations, including the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), Natural Justice (NJ), Oxfam Novib, FEMNET, and the African Youth Commission. The program is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

KEY DISCUSSIONS AND TAKEAWAYS

The AACJ Global Coordination Meeting included several plenary and group sessions that focused on progress review, COP27 reflection, theory of change, and global stock take. The following are the key discussions and takeaways:

Progress Review

The meeting provided an opportunity for consortium members to collectively share, reflect, and review progress achieved in year two of implementation. The baseline study and annual reports were key documents used to review progress. The consortium experienced some coordination hitches and compliance bottlenecks, but these were acknowledged as inherent and expected in a consortium’s initial stages of program implementation.

Adaptations for Successful Implementation

The AACJ consortium members discussed and agreed on adaptations required for the successful implementation of the AACJ program. They reviewed the internal and external operating context and agreed on strengthening coordination systems at all levels, including PGG, Project Leads, PMU, Decentralized PMU, Country Coordination, and Technical Workstreams. The consortium members also discussed and harmonized a joint calendar of events.

Cohesive Team Building

The AACJ consortium members emphasized the importance of building a cohesive team to drive the AACJ program’s implementation. They acknowledged the need to invest in team spirit, mutual support, and focus to achieve the desired results. The team-building activities facilitated by an external consultant were successful in creating a more energized and refreshed team.

COP27 Reflection and Planning for COP28

The AACJ consortium members reflected on COP27 and planned for COP28. They discussed the role of AACJ in the global stocktake progress and designed the COP28 AACJ framework.

Continuous Improvement Plans

The AACJ consortium members developed continuous improvement plans and initiatives to leverage existing strengths and opportunities as well as address obstacles to implementation. They refined and shared their understanding of roles, ways of working, and the framework for an enabling environment for the program.

Other Key Discussions and Takeaways

1. Gallery of Best Practices 

One of the sessions involved each consortium member designing a gallery to present what is being implemented at the grassroots level. The galleries showcased a range of best practices, including community-led innovations, sustainable farming practices, and climate-smart technologies. These practices demonstrated the impact of the AACJ program on the ground and the potential for scaling up these practices to other regions.

2. Challenges and Improvements

 Each consortium partner presented the challenges and improvements to be made in relation to working together with other partners. The discussions focused on strengthening coordination and collaboration to achieve the desired results. Some of the challenges identified included coordination hitches, communication breakdowns, and compliance bottlenecks. The consortium members agreed to develop a clear framework for collaboration and to invest in building stronger and more effective relationships among consortium partners.

3. Baseline Study Findings

A consultant presented a baseline study that was done to assess the state of climate justice in the target countries. The study findings established that there are a number of programs by NGOs to support communities to defend their environment and social rights, and 179 changes in law and policies that advance climate justice. The country-specific findings indicated that Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, and South Africa have ratified policies and plans that support a conducive environment for climate action. 

Some of the policies include National Development plans (NAP), National Adaptation Program Action plan (NAPA), plans for environmental and Sustainable development, and their constitutions. The study also assessed the cases of community-led innovations and sustainable best practices. The study established that there are 45 cases where communities are improving their capacities for adaptation planning.

4. Recommendations 

The baseline study made recommendations to the ACCJ project partners to support the advancement of climate justice in the target countries. These recommendations included supporting awareness creation programs, promoting public participation in climate change, promoting women’s participation in climate action, influencing policymakers and institutions regarding indigenous knowledge, and setting up groups from indigenous communities. The study also recommended promoting the inclusion of youth, PWDs, women, and indigenous communities in the implementation of climate policies.

CONCLUSION

The AACJ Global Coordination Meeting provided an opportunity for the consortium members to reflect on progress made in year two of implementation, review the internal and external operating context, plan for COP28, and discuss continuous improvement plans. 

The gallery of best practices showcased the potential for scaling up these practices to other regions, and the discussions on challenges and improvements highlighted the importance of coordination and collaboration. The baseline study findings provided insights into the state of climate justice in the target countries and made recommendations for promoting the advancement of climate justice.

 Overall, the AACJ program continues to make significant progress toward achieving its goals, and the consortium members left the meeting with renewed energy and focus to drive the program’s implementation.

Finance Officer – AACJ Project

Job description

Duration and type: Fixed-term contract

Duty station: Nairobi

Supervisor: Director of Admin and Finance 

Start date: Immediately

African Youth Commission (AYC) is seeking the services of a qualified candidate to serve as ‘’Finance Officer’’ to provide the following specific services:

• Plan, prepare the project budgets 
• Monitor expenses in accordance with the allocated budget
• Manage the monthly accounting and financial plans
• Manage, monitor, and properly document cash withdrawals, keep the cashbook, bank accounts, prepare and enter vouchers into relevant computer accounting systems or offline files, books etc
• Check requests for funds, payments etc and ensure payments, requests for funds are adequately supported before release
• Check internal/external settlements of expenses i.e travel expenses, allowances etc of staff, volunteers, consultants, partners for approval by the relevant authorities before settlement 
• Carry out weekly/monthly reconciliation, spot checks of the cash at hand and/or at bank 
• Support the internal or external Audit exercises of the Accounts
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the Director of Programmes and the Executive Secretary

Skills

• Excellent communication skills in English both verbally and in writing, French is an asset
• Excellent working knowledge of ICT tools
• Good team player
• Previous experience in the field is an added advantage
• In-depth understanding of financial planning, accounting, management and administration

Education/Academic Qualification and experience

• University degree in relevant specialisation and qualification in finance, accounting business administration etc
• At least 2 years professional experience in a comparable position

HOW TO APPLY/ DEADLINE:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications and recent curriculum vitae in soft copies to the following address:

The Executive Chairperson 

African Youth Commission 

Submit your application HERE: https://forms.gle/gnyQHopcPA2gdrPK8

Deadline for submission application: Friday 7th January 2022 at 23h59 GMT.

All applications should include a functional email address, mobile numbers, cover letter, and detailed curriculum vitae (CV)

Project Officer – AACJ Project

Position title: Project Officer – AACJ Project

Duration and type: Fixed-term contract

Duty station: Nairobi

Supervisor: Project Coordinator

Start date: Immediately

African Youth Commission (AYC) is seeking the services of a qualified candidate to serve as ‘’Project Officer’’ to support the Program Coordinator and Director of Programmes in providing technical and coordination support to AYC and partner organizations in the context of the African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) project.

Specific assignment

The specific assignment of the Assistant Programme Coordinator will include but not limited to the following:

• Support the Program Coordinator and Director of Programme in requesting and receiving annual and quarterly work plans of project implementing partners and other stakeholders
• Review work plans and ensure they are align to the project objectives, outputs and outcomes
• Submit the plans and budgets to the project manager in a timely manner
• Draft MoUs for implementing partners and facilitate signing
• Follow up with AYC admin and finance to ensure timely disbursement of allocated funds to implementing partners
• Supervise, coordinate and advise partners on the implementation of their activities at national, sub-regional and global levels
• Provide bi-weekly progress report on the activities of partners 
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the Director of Programmes and the Executive Secretary
• Follow progress of the project implementation at national level

Skills

The candidate must possess the following skills or competence:

• Advanced knowledge and experience in youth work and community mobilization
• Experience in working with youth groups at different levels
• Knowledge of project management and development
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills
• Good report writing skills
• Excellent command of English 
• Computer literacy and strong electronic communication skills
• Ability to multitask, work in a team environment and meet the deadline

Education/Academic Qualification and experience

The candidate must hold one of the following:

• Undergraduate degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, International Development Cooperation or equivalent with two years work experiences
• Diploma in Youth Work or Equivalent with four years work experience
• Extensive professional experience in youth development work, climate change, human rights with proven track records of project management

HOW TO APPLY/ DEADLINE:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications and recent curriculum vitae in soft copies to the following address:

The Executive Chairperson 

African Youth Commission

ayc@auyc.org 

Submit your application HERE: https://forms.gle/gnyQHopcPA2gdrPK8

Deadline for submission application: Friday 31st May 2024 at 23h59 GMT

All applications should include a functional email address, mobile numbers, cover letter, and detailed curriculum vitae (CV) 

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Shortlisting will be on a rolling basis.

Virtual Pre-Tana Youth Forum 2020

Date: 27 August 2020
Time: 10:00 am – 4:30 pm (EAT)
To register: Click here 

The 9th Tana High-level Forum on Peace and Security in Africa takes place virtually in October 2020 under the theme The AfCFTA: Revitalizing Pan Africanism for Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa guides the Forum and surrounding events. With the view to provide a platform for young Africans to engage and mobilize on the Tana Forum theme and youth-related issues, the Pre-Tana Youth Forum will take place on 27 August 2020 virtually in collaboration with the African Youth Commission, Youth Foundation for Development, Education & Leadership (YouthhubAfrica), Youth to Youth and GIZ.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) brings together 55 African economies, forming the world’s largest trading area with a gross domestic product worth USD $3.4 trillion and a population of more than one billion people. The ambitious objectives of the AfCFTA include facilitating intra-African trade; promoting regional value chains to foster the integration of the African continent into the global economy; boosting industrialization, competitiveness, and innovation, ultimately contributing to Africa’s economic development and social progress by eliminating tariffs and other related trade barriers.

The impact of this agreement is paramount in numerous ways. Countries can excel in the production of goods and services at their comparative advantage and export them to their neighbors and other countries on the continent. At the same time, the agreement will allow them to bring-in (import) goods and services at relatively cheaper prices and short amounts of time. According to the AU, intra-African trade is one of the lowest in the world, it is close to 18%. But, after the implementation of the agreement, it is believed to increase to 52% in 2022.

In addition, the AfCFTA is going to impact youth at large because more than 60 % of the people living in the continent are youth, being below the age of 35. Currently, as a result of the vicious spell that underdevelopment has cast upon the continent, a large number of youths are desperate to make a living for themselves and for their families to the point of enlisting in terrorist or extremist groups. One can take a look at how impoverishment can be used to manipulate youth into being members of terrorist groups, for example in Nigeria (Boko-Haram) and Somalia (Al-Shabbab).

So, AfCFTA is the long-awaited catapult to shoot Africa’s economy in general, as a result, it will lead to more job opportunities for the youth who are in desperate need of employment. Additionally, youths having new business ideas (entrepreneurs) will benefit from the new markets elsewhere. These are some of the main benefits or impacts of AfCFTA on youth.

On the contrary, the AfCFTA might have its own disadvantages. As discussed earlier the main idea of this agreement is to allow people and goods to move freely across the continent. In doing so, various threats to peace and security of individuals, countries, and the continent, in general, might also move freely as people and goods do. The proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) is currently one of the main challenges Africa is facing and it is playing a huge role to make conflicts protracted. Without the necessary controlling efforts and institutions in place, the AfCFTA might exacerbate conflicts by inviting more youth and SALW into them.

Another possible peace and security challenges can be the issue of insurgency and violent extremism. As borders diminish and individuals frequently move easily across country boundaries, insurgency and violent extremism do the same for safe havens making it much harder to achieve peaceful and prosperous Africa (Agenda 2063); here youth are the main members of these extreme groups. Moreover, as people easily move across countries’ boundaries, it is highly likely to carry infectious diseases with them that can pose a threat to the peace and security of states of the continent.

So, it is imperative to say that, AfCFTA is a double-edged sword that is capable of striking both ways. Thus, this pre-forum will try to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of the AfCFTA with special emphasis on youth.

Download the Concept Note. | Download the Agenda.

For more about the Forum, please visit IPSS/Tana Forum website.

NOTICE OF A NEW DATE FOR THE 2020 ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING OF THE AFRICAN YOUTH COMMISSION (AYCGA)

Date: July 27^th, 2020

TO:

• ALL MEMBERS, YOUNG PEOPLE, OTHER CRITICAL STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS

SUBJECT: NOTICE OF A NEW DATE FOR THE 2020 ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING OF THE AFRICAN YOUTH COMMISSION (AYCGA)

Dear Sir or Madam,

The African Youth Commission (AYC) under the able leadership of Ms. Natalie Sonia Mukundane, the Executive Chairperson presents its compliments to the valued membership, young people, other critical stakeholders and partners of the AYC and have the pleasure to notify all the stakeholders of the new date for the 2020 Annual General Assembly Meeting of the Commission (AYCGA).

Recalling the fact that, the 2020 AYC Annual General Assembly Meeting was originally scheduled to take place on 23-27 March 2020 in Nairobi, Kenya jointly co-hosted by the AYC Secretariat, National Youth Council of Kenya and Youth Senate Kenya but postponed due to Coronavirus outbreak. Cognizant of the fact that, the COVID19 is not ending anytime soon, and the Executive Council of the AYC is mandated by the AYC constitution through its Secretariat to organise the General Assembly Meeting of the AYC on an annual basis.

Against this background, the leadership of the AYC has decided to organise the General Assembly Meeting virtually this year. The GA is now scheduled to take place on the 26th of August 2020. During the meeting, the Executive Chairperson of the AYC will present the 2019 activity and financial reports as well as the 2020 work plan and estimate budget for approval by the Assembly.

Additionally, be informed that the Pan-African Youth Conference on African Unity and Development is still being planned to take place physically before end of the year 2020 if the COVID19 situations improved.

The agenda for GA 2020, the 2019 activity and financial reports, as well as the 2020 work plan and estimate budget will be published on the AYC website at http://africanyouthcommission.org/ before Friday, August 10th 2020. Please do keep an eye for your reference and preparation ahead of the meeting.

Sincerely,

Signed

For: Executive Chairperson

Kawsu Sillah

Executive Secretary 

AYC endorsed the UN IANYD Statement on COVID-19 and Youth

The unprecedented global health crisis we are facing is affecting all parts of society and changing lives and livelihoods. In all types of crises and times of need, from climate change to armed conflict or political unrest, young people and youth-led organizations have been quick to take action and respond to the needs of others. The same is happening now during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While attention is currently focused on those most immediately affected by the virus, there are many indications the COVID-19 pandemic will have long-lasting social, cultural, economic, political and multidimensional impacts on the whole of societies, including young people, as highlighted by the Secretary General’s Report “Shared Responsibility, Global Solidarity” (March 2020).

The United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development (UN IANYD) is committed to the goals enshrined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the World Programme of Action for Youth and the UN Youth Strategy. Respect for all human rights – including economic, social and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights – is fundamental to the success of public health responses and recovery from the pandemic.

Download the full Statement.