Regional Youth Consultations on AU Project 2016 Continue in Kampala Before Final One in Tunis

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September 30, 2016

Kampala, Uganda, September 22, 2016: - Regional Youth Consultations have been hosted by the African Governance Architecture (AGA) and the African Union Commission’s Department of Political Affairs in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) over the past four weeks. Under the theme, ‘Promoting Young People’s Rights towards the Attainment of Agenda 2063’, these consultations are taking place as a lead up to November’s Fifth Annual High Level Dialogue on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance; as well as a contribution to the African Union’s Project 2016, themed ‘the Year of Human Rights with a particular focus on the Rights of Women’.

The Regional Youth Consultations were designed to engage young Africans across the continent’s five regions and to date, consultations have taken place in West and Southern Africa. The gathering in Kampala, which concluded on the 24th of September 2016, brought together young people from both the East and Central regions, totalling over 100 participants.

In the opening address, Mr. Kyateka Mondo, Assistant Commissioner in Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, unequivocally called for strengthened and consistent investment in Africa’s young people, stating that ‘no investment will make more solid returns than one made in young people’. He reminded the youth that rights go hand in hand with responsibilities and in this regard, offering themselves (through volunteerism) for towards the attainment of Agenda 2063 ‘’is not a favour, it is simply an obligation.’’

The consultations provide a platform for aggregating youth concerns, insights and perspectives, building capacity as well as showcasing youth initiatives that advance human rights on the continent. The consultations also seek to create an avenue for interactions and exchanges between participants and AU Organs, Regional as well as National Human Rights Mechanisms towards the advancement of human and peoples’ rights in Africa.

Overall, the consultations are expected to provide an opportunity for youth to provide input to the African Union’s 10 Year Human Rights Strategy. The Strategy will be a guiding framework for collective action by the AU, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and member states to strengthen the African human rights system and address the current challenges of the African human rights system.

The Regional Youth Consultations will make their final stop in Tunis covering the North African region from the 29th-30th of September 2016.

Note to Editor

The African Governance Architecture (AGA) is a mechanism for dialogue between stakeholders that are mandated to promote and strengthen democratic governance in Africa as a way to deepen coherence, synergy and coordination. The AGA is the overall political and institutional framework for the promotion, protection and sustenance of democracy, governance, human rights and humanitarian assistance on the continent. The principle objective of AGA is implementation of AU Shared Values and in particular the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG). Established in 2011 AGA is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the AU Headquarters with the AGA Platform Members across Africa.

The African Union’s African Governance Architecture (AGA) - Youth Engagement Strategy (AGA-YES) sees youth as leaders, beneficiaries and partners and is focused on elevating African youth voices on issues that highly affect their present as well as their future. As this year commemorates the “African Year of Human Rights with particular focus on the Rights of Women” it is important to give these issues high ground as they are the center piece for the respect and protection of fundamental human rights in the continent.

Mr. Kyateka F. Mondo – Assistant Commissioner, Ministry of Gender, Labour & Social Development (Uganda)