As part of Africa Week 2015 at United Nations Headquarters in New York, a High-Level Event on Youth brought together youth advocates and senior policymakers to discuss and debate the forthcoming “African Continental Framework on Youth Development”. The event also highlighted the progress so far, and challenges recognized, in implementing the African Youth Charter (2006) as well as the important role of youth employment in accelerating achievement of the aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Full house here at @UN for African Continental Framework on Youth Development| #UNAfricaWeek http://t.co/S1LNwsgy4X pic.twitter.com/sRSdDOScCi
— UN Youth Envoy (@UNYouthEnvoy) October 14, 2015
Mr. Maged Abdelaziz, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, spoke of the historic importance of youth to Africa.
"African youth are an incredible reservoir of human capital." –@UN Special Adviser on Africa, Maged Abdelaziz | #UNAfricaWeek
— UN Youth Envoy (@UNYouthEnvoy) October 14, 2015
"Nelson Mandela was only 26 when he formed the ANC Youth League." –@UN Special Adviser on Africa, Maged Abdelaziz | #UNAfricaWeek
— UN Youth Envoy (@UNYouthEnvoy) October 14, 2015
Mr. Abdelaziz also praised the work of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth in Africa:
.@UN Special Adviser on Africa on committed work of @AhmadAlhendawi with #YouthNow in Africa | #UNAfricaWeek pic.twitter.com/rjuaOlcr2c
— UN Youth Envoy (@UNYouthEnvoy) October 14, 2015
Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, spoke on the potential of African developed solutions to African challenges, emphasized the need for proper funding of youth organization in Africa, and encouraged those gathered in New York to be reminded of the important work needed to address child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
"100% of solutions for Africa will come from Africa." –@AhmadAlhendawi at #UNAfricaWeek
— UN Youth Envoy (@UNYouthEnvoy) October 14, 2015
"We need to support #youth organizations in #Africa. They are still way underfunded" says @AhmadAlhendawi of @UNYouthEnvoy #UNAfricaWeek15
— Africa Renewal, UN (@africarenewal) October 14, 2015
"Let girls be girls. Not mothers." @UNYouthEnvoy @AhmadAlhendawi on #YouthDvp in #Africa #Agenda2063
— German UN Youth Delegates (@YouthDelegates) October 14, 2015
Running from October 12th to 16th, the Africa Week 2015 will be celebrated in the context of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations under the theme “Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Moving from Aspirations to Reality.”
The main objective of Africa Week 2015 is to garner necessary support from Member States, civil society, the private sector and academia for Africa’s new transformative agenda. The Week also aims to identify the kind of support the United Nations could further extend to African regional and sub-regional organizations in the implementation of Agenda 2063, in ways that ensure synergy with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Read more here: http://www.un.org/en/africa/osaa/events/2015/youthdevelopment20151014.shtml