Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 24 June 2016- The Presiding Officer of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) of the African Union (AU), Dr. Joseph Chilengi held a series of consultations with the Mandela - Washington fellows as part of the Africa Regional Conference of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) which were held in West, South and East Africa. The conferences were held in Accra, Ghana, from 19 - 21 May 2016; Johannesburg, South Africa from 9-11 June 2016; and Nairobi, Kenya from 15-17 June, respectively. The Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) which aims to empower young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking.

Together the conferences brought together about 750 leaders from the fields of civic leadership, business and entrepreneurship and public administration across East, West, Central and South African countries.

The conference provided an opportunity for ECOSOCC to engage with fellows on two levels: a Partnership Expo in which staff from the ECOSOCC Secretariat briefed fellows on the programs of ECOSOCC and the African Union in General; and a Town Hall on AU Agenda 2063; in which the Presiding Officer highlighted the main components of the flagship African Union strategy. The presiding officer also urged the young leaders to engage with the AU to further enrich Agenda 2063, champion its implementation at country level and join efforts towards continental integration.

The two interactive platforms allowed for Fellows to develop an increased understanding of the structures, policies and programs of both ECOSOCC and the African Union; particularly as relates to youth engagement.
ECOSOCC is also scheduled to participate at the Presidential Summit in Washington DC, USA, later in the year.

The Presiding Officer used the occasion to reaffirm the commitment of ECOSOCC to pursue engagement with African youth within the Agenda 2063 Framework; as young people all over the continent work to transform communities, build businesses and strengthen public administration. KO

High-resolution photos of the town hall can be accessed here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irex/sets/72157667841600880
Video footage of the town hall can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg2SSJhLKLs&list=PLERqpipzq3rQ66qx30eq__...
Preview YouTube video AGENDA 2063: Town Hall with Dr. Chilengi, African Union

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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