Declaration for the Promotion of Regional Collaboration for Youth Empowerment

We, the youth of Africa, government representatives, civil society organizations, development partners, regional economic community representatives and private sector representatives gathered at Chrismar Hotel, Livingstone Zambia from 2nd - 5th December 2013, to promote regional collaboration for youth empowerment,

1.Acknowledge the different efforts and strides made by African heads of state and government in promoting youth development,

2.Appreciate the different policies and institutional frameworks in place at the continental, regional and national level such as African Youth Charter, Pan African Youth Union,

3.Note the socio-economic, political, environmental challenges faced by young people in Africa especially unemployment;

4.Further note that young people constitute well over 50% of the population in many African countries,

Hereby call upon the African heads of state and government to:

Set up and support the establishment of One Stop Youth Centres (OSYCs) as hubs for youth development and empowerment

Encourage each country to, where unavailable where existing establish and strengthen, a legislative framework for the functional National Youth Councils (NYCs) with clear mandate and roles which includes coordination of youth groups, organisations as well as youth institutions

Ensure member states meaningful involvement of young people in the budgetary system of the country and management of funds allocated to youth

Where unavailable, formulate, where existing, update and review youth policies taking into account lessons learnt and ensure meaningful participation of youth

Consider the youth empowerment index to be a benchmark as a set of criteria to measure progress and commitment at country level towards specific indicators related to youth empowerment.

We, call upon all regional bodies to:

Encourage the establishment of OSYCs at the national level with clear coordination mechanisms of their operations and establish a platform for exchange at the regional level

Put in place policy and institutional frameworks that provide for the establishment of functional youth commissions and Regional Youth Councils (RYCs) in all Regional Economic Communities (EAC, ECOWAS, SADC, ECCAS, AMU)

Formulate regional policies that specifically deal with youth entrepreneurship and establishment of Regional Youth Development Banks

Encourage the mainstreaming of youth issues in all protocol

Put in place a conducive legislative environment for private sector participation in youth empowerment initiatives

Develop clear structure for youth involvement in national and regional deliberations and processes

We, request all stakeholders including youth bodies, Civil Society Organizations, Development Partners and the Media to:

Encourage the setting up of OSYCs and support them with necessary resources to address specific youth issues at the centres

Enhance the capacity of regional youth networks to be effective in lobbying and advocating for youth empowerment in the regions

Monitor and follow up on mechanisms set up by governments for youth programmes

Take into consideration issues of access and equity in information and services provision for youth to ensure inclusion of special interest groups

Partner with local universities and research institutions to support innovation as well as involve local communities, private sector and other stakeholders in OSYC programmes

We believe that a society that acknowledges the potential of young people prospers, we call on all national governments, Regional Economic Communities and other stakeholders to join us in the search for deeper integration, participation and development in Africa.