African Union Commission News

Banjul+10: AUC and Partners to Commemorate 10 Year anniversary of African Youth Charter (AYC)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 17 May 2016: The African Union Commission (AUC) Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST), in collaboration with the Islamic Republic of The Gambia and various development partners, will commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the African Youth Charter (AYC) between the 21^st and 25^th May, 2016.

Dubbed Banjul+10, with the theme; “10 Years Implementation of the African Youth Charter: Accelerating Youth Development in Africa”, the forum is intended to provide a fresh opportunity to evaluate the current status and promote the African youth development and empowerment agenda, within the framework of the Youth Charter and Agenda 2063.

The African Youth Charter (AYC) is a legal and political document which serves as a strategic framework for guiding efforts towards youth empowerment and development on the African continent. It emerged during the 7^th Ordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) that took place in Banjul, Gambia, in July 2006, with the aim of strengthening, reinforcing and consolidating efforts to empower youth in Africa through meaningful participation and equal partnership in decision making processes.

To date 42 countries are signatory to the African Youth Charter, and 38 have ratified it. Banjul+10,  will offer an opportunity to advance the agenda of youth empowerment and development in all Member States by ensuring, as a mechanism, mutual accountability to the obligations of the African Youth Charter, re-affirming commitments to the Decade of Youth (2009 – 2018) and its Plan of Action and promoting alignment to Africa’s Agenda 2063.

Ten years after the introduction and adoption of the AYC, the AUC is looking to assess the progress that has been made as well as evaluate the major challenges faced with regard to the implementation of the Charter, in an effort to collectively re-strategize and strengthen actions toward implementation (of the Charter) and further - realize the vision laid out in Africa’s Agenda 2063.

The forum will, among other things, present an avenue for AU Member States to conduct peer reviews of investments in the continent’s youth; provide a platform for intergenerational discourse and advocacy; showcase the creativity and innovativeness of African youth across various sectors; ensure and facilitate broad-based, inclusive consultations, etc.

Outcomes from Banjul+10 will inform the second AU Specialized Technical Committee (STC) meeting of AU Ministers of Youth, Culture and Sports and serve as a basis for 2017 ‘African Year of Harnessing Demographic Dividends for Accelerated Youth Empowerment.’ The event will also provide an opportunity to celebrate Africa Liberation Day in Banjul on the 25^th of May 2016.

Join the Twitter conversations on the 10 year anniversary of the African Youth Charter using our Twitter handle @AUYouthProgram and the hashtag #AUBanjulPlus10.