By Adama Makasuba
A two-day Africa youth forum on gender and human rights that sought to accelerating transformations and engaging young African leaders in implementing the 2030 and 2063 Agenda ended Wednesday at a local hotel in Kololi.
The forum brought together hundreds of youths across Africa including top Gambia government officials who collectively shared and looked into issues affecting and measures to addressing such against youths across the continent.
Organised by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO OHCHR, other United Nations agencies, CODESRIA, Trust Africa, ARTICLE 19 and the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation, in close collaboration with the Gambia Government, Pan-African Youth Network for Culture and Peace (PAYNCOP) and the African Commission on Human and People’s Right (ACHPR).
The event attracted lot of young people within the sub-region under the theme:” Engaging young African leaders in implementing the 2030 and the 2063 Agenda”.
UNESCO and its partners over the five years have provided youth organizations with space and a voice to define and lead their own development agenda.
The overall objectives of this two-day Forum is to provide young African leaders of both sexes of all categories and to show willingness of African youth to receive the legacy of their heritage, the commitment to safeguarding and conservation of this cultural capital for a prosperous Africa enriched with a strong cultural identity.
Speaking before hundreds of youths at Paradise suite hotel, Dembo Kambi, chairman of National Youth Council called on the youths of the continent to unite and rewrite their history and urged for cordiality among African countries for smooth trade.
“The governments should create the enabling environment for the youths to participate and governments also ensure that the young people have the necessary information to participate in politics and decision-making processes, “chairman of Gambia’s National Youth Council said.
He said the Africa that we all desire cannot be with us, adding that governments must close boarders for African to have a united state of Africa saying “we have to open up for free flow of economics activities in the continent and development should be people centered.”
According to him, youths should be empowered thorough job creation by their governments ‘for the governments to putting in place necessary legal and economic framework in order for youths to engage into meaningful economics activities.’