Senior government officials from Commonwealth countries in Africa will meet in Lusaka, Zambia, on 26 and 27 February to review priorities for youth development.
Senior government officials from Commonwealth countries in Africa will meet in Lusaka, Zambia, on 26 and 27 February to review priorities for youth development.
The meeting, convened by the Commonwealth Youth Programme, follows last year’s Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka, at which leaders vowed to put young people at the heart of policy-making for sustainable development.
The resulting Magampura Commitment to Young People focused on renewing efforts to develop and empower young people to participate meaningfully in issues affecting their future.
Katherine Ellis, Director of Youth Affairs at the Commonwealth, said the meeting in Zambia is taking place at a critical moment when the organisation is renewing its model in order to deliver greater value to young people across the 53 member countries of the Commonwealth.
“The new model for the Commonwealth Youth Programme is informed by the desire to achieve the greatest positive impact for the largest possible number of young people across the entire membership,” Ms Ellis said.
She added that the Commonwealth Youth Programme will continue to be a driving force in the youth development sector, and to support governments and youth-led organisations in policy-making and programming.
Under the renewal of the Commonwealth Youth Programme, there will also be consolidation of work with a strategic focus on policy leadership, advocacy, research and analysis, and provision of distilled good practices to member governments.
At the senior officials meeting in Lusaka, participants will also assess progress on the outcomes of the 8th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting in Papua New Guinea last April, as well as the 9th Commonwealth Youth Forum in Sri Lanka last November. At the forum, young delegates called on governments to focus on youth employment, fit-for-purpose education, sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, and the professionalisation of youth work.
The meeting in Lusaka will end with an event on 27 February 2014. Participants will reflect on and celebrate the achievements of the Commonwealth Youth Programme in Africa over the last 40 years. Similar events have been held for the Asia and Caribbean Commonwealth Youth Programme Centres.
Notes to Editors:
- Journalists are invited for a media briefing at the end of the first day's meeting on Wednesday 26 February 2014 at 5:00pm at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre.
- Photos of the event will be available to download from Flickr and the Commonwealth’s Digital Library free of charge. Please register online.
- The Commonwealth is a diverse bloc of 53 states, including 31 small and vulnerable countries many of which are island nations. The community is home to 2.2 billion citizens, of which over 60% are under the age of 30.
- The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) assists member governments in the development of policy and programmes for the empowerment of young women and men aged 15–29.
- target="_blank">Read the Magampura Commitment to Young People by Commonwealth Heads of GovernmentDocumentMagampura Commitment to Young People.pdf (177.8 KB)
- Read the Declaration by the Young People of the Commonwealth, issued at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Forum
- Read the Communiqué from the 8th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting
