East African Community
PRESS RELEASE
EAC YOUTH CONVENTION KICKS-OFF IN KAMPALA, UGANDA
EAC Headquarters Arusha, Tanzania, 4 November 2013:
University students, youth
from a cross the region, as well as the EAC Youth
Ambassadors are in Kampala discussing how best they can tap
opportunities as well as close the information gap on the EAC
integration agenda at the first edition of the
EAC youth Convention.
The 4-6 November 2013 Convention themed: Youth as Drivers in Leveraging Constitutionalism
and Rule of Law in the Integration Agenda is organized by the EAC Youth Ambassadors Platform,
EAC Secretariat and the Ministry of EAC Affairs (Uganda);
co-organizers
include the Inter-University Council of East Africa (IUCEA), East
African Business Council (EABC) and Development Partners led by GIZ, is
being held at the Imperial
Royale Hotel in Kampala, Uganda.
The
inaugural
Convention aims at giving EAC Youth an opportunity to deliberate on the 2nd Annual High Level Dialogue on Governance and Democracy in Africa:
Trends, Challenges and Prospects, covering
a wide range of activities including the launch of the EAC Youth
Ambassadors Facebook page, an awareness walk, tree planting, as well as
information
sharing booths on EAC integration.
The EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation, Mr. Charles Njoroge stated that the
EAC Youth Convention will be an annual event that will be coordinated
by the EAC Youth Ambassadors Platform, through which EAC sponsored
programs for the youth will be developed to accord University
Students/Youth a forum for debate, interaction, cultural exchange,
sports, entrepreneurship and innovations.
In addition to the Convention, Mr. Njoroge noted there will be National Sensitization Workshops in the course
of implementing the EAC Youth Ambassadors Platform Plan of Action. “The aim of the Workshops is to foster youth participation and interest them on the EAC integration agenda through peer-to-peer
sensitization and knowledge sharing initiatives” he said.
The objectives of the Convention
are
to raise awareness among University students and the youth in general,
on the EAC integration agenda and enhance their participation in the
integration
process; engage the East African youth in the crafting of the Africa
2063 Agenda; and develop a youth led and oriented agenda for promoting
constitutionalism and rule of law in Africa in relation to the AU Youth
Consultation on the 2nd Annual High
Level Dialogue on Governance and Democracy in Africa, among others.
Notes to Editors
The African Governance Architecture -
High
Level Dialogues
The
principle aim of the High Level Dialogues is to provide a conducive
avenue for Member States, AGA Platform Members, civil society and other
stakeholders including the private sector, philanthropists, and
development actors to engage and share comparable experiences and
lessons on how to improve governance, consolidate democracy and foster
effective realization of human and peoples’ rights on the
continent. The high level trends dialogue is being held under the
Auspices of the African Governance Architecture.
The
African Governance Architecture (AGA)1 is the overall continental
framework for promoting, nurturing, strengthening and consolidating
democracy
and governance in Africa. The AGA seeks to achieve these objectives by
among other initiatives facilitating dialogue among Member States,
African Union organs, institutions, Regional Economic Communities
(RECs), African citizens, civil society and other stakeholders
on emerging trends, threats, challenges and opportunities on democratic
governance in Africa.
The
inaugural High Level Dialogue was held in November 2012 in Dakar
Senegal and focused generally on the state of governance and democracy
in
Africa. At that consultation, delegates reiterated the need to ensure a
systematic African Union driven assessment and review of Member States
compliance and implementation of continental norms and standards on
democracy, governance and human rights.
In
line with a key resolution of the inaugural High Level Dialogue to
convene the consultation annually, and
the offer by the Senegalese Government to co-host the Annual Dialogues,
the AGA Platform Secretariat - the Department of Political Affairs,
African Union Commission - in consultation with the Platform Members
identified the issue of
strengthening constitutional order and the rule of law
as an appropriate and timely theme for the 2013 High Level Trends consultation.
The
Youth Consultation calls for the youth in the region through the EAC
Youth Ambassadors Platform to deliberate on inclusion of youth voices
and perspectives into discussions on the state of constitutionalism and
rule of law in Africa; initiate a process of engaging African young
people in the crafting of the Africa 2063 Agenda; encourage the
promotion of African Charter on Democracy, Elections
and Governance and other related AU instruments on popular
participation, human rights and governance; and develop a youth led and
oriented agenda for promoting constitutionalism and the rule of law in
Africa.
-ENDS-
Owora Richard Othieno,
Head of Department;
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs;
Tel: +255 784 835021;
Email: othieno@eachq.org;
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