ADF-V Programme
The Fifth African Development Forum (ADF-V)
Youth and Leadership in the 21 st Century
Draft Annotated Programme of Work
16 - 18 November 2006
UNCC, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Thursday, 16 November:
9:00 - 10:30: Opening Ceremony
Chair: Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary, ECA
Venue: Conference Room 1
9:15 - 10:15: Opening Statements by:
• Welcoming remarks by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, ES, ECA
• Statement by 2 Representatives of the Youth (a girl and a boy)
• Statement by Mr. Donald Kaberuka, President of AfDB
• Statement and launching of the Youth Charter by Prof. Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson AUC
• Statement by the Prime Minister, Ethiopia
10:15 - 10:30: Keynote Address by the UN Secretary General
10:30 - 11:00: VIPs will visit Exhibition (exhibition area)
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break for participants
11:00 - 11:15 Briefing on ADF-V Process by ECA.
The briefing will include the outcome of the Global Youth Forum that took place in New York, USA.
Chair: A Youth representative
Presenters: - ECA
- Mr Djibril Diallo
Venue: Conference Room 1
11:15 - 11:30 Short video film from Speak-Africa Initiative
Chair: A Youth representative
Venue: Conference Room 1
11: 30 - 12:30 Plenary Session 1
Theme: Youth and Economic Development
Chair : Mrs. Rima Salah, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF
Venue: Conference Room 1
Mr. Introductory Presentations of the Cluster by:
• Mr. Gettu Tegegnework, Chief of Staff, UNDP
• A Youth Discussant
Discussions from the floor
In the context of youth and economic development, leadership entails two aspects: the need for responsible leadership by governments and international partners to promote economic progress for youth; and more importantly, the potential for youth to acts as leaders in economic development. This plenary session will set the scene for the breakout sessions by touching on some of the key economic issues facing African youth, how governments and development partners have responded, and how youth themselves are taking a leadership role in this agenda.
12:30 - 14:30 Lunch Break
14:30 - 17:00 Parallel Breakout Sessions
• Education and Skills Training for Youth
Venue : Conference Room 2
To provide African youth access to a decent formal education and the opportunity to develop a range of skills, governments and development partners need to promote educational access and quality with a more holistic approach encompassing all levels of education and out-of-school schemes. This session will discuss best practices in these areas. It is expected that the outcome of the session will contribute to the implementation of the African Union Second Decade of Education for Africa.
• Youth Employment and Migration
Venue: Conference Room 3
Having a job provides a young person not only with a source of income but also a basis for dignity and self-respect. This session will document best practices in generating youth employment and to identify linkages between migration, employment and poverty reduction with a view to developing coherent youth employment policies and programmes. It is expected that the outcome of this session will lead to partnerships in support of the formulation and implementation of youth-friendly job policies and programmes.
• Youth Entrepreneurship :
Venue: Conference Room 4
Engaging in entrepreneurship shifts young people from being "job seekers" to "job creators," and also from social dependence to self-sufficiency. The focus of this session is to identify effective initiatives such as youth funds and networks and how young people have become successful entrepreneurs. The expected outcome is a clear strategy for improving the environment for youth entrepreneurship.
• Youth and ICT
Venue: Conference Room 5
Young people have an aptitude in developing, adopting and disseminating information and communication technology. This session will discuss best practices in terms of how ICT can be used both as a tool to promote youth as leaders in the ICT sector and to foster broader economic development involving youth. It is expected that the outcomes of this session will promote the objectives of the African Youth in ICT for Development Network (AYIN), an offshoot of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
• Youth, Health and HIV/AIDS
Venue: Conference Room 6
This session will address the vulnerability of young people to a range of health problems, especially HIV/AIDS, and the response to this situation in terms of both health programmes and youth-lead initiatives. It is expected that this session will propose concrete recommendations for making health services better targeted and more youth friendly, and strategies for capitalizing on youth initiatives in this area.
• Youth and Environment and Sustainable Livelihood
Venue: Large Briefing Room
African youth have shown considerable leadership in tackling environmental challenges and promoting sustainable livelihoods. Highlighting best practices, this session will deliberate on ways of integrating youth concerns in policymaking. To ensure that youth aspirations for a prosperous and sustainable future are realized, governments and development partners need to understand what sustainable development actually means to African youth.
• Youth and Economic Decision-Making
Venue: Caucus Room 11
Until recently, policymakers rarely included youth in the decision-making process or even consulted with them on their concerns. However, without real participation, youth policies and programmes, especially relating to the PRS, MDG and NEPAD agendas, are bound to fail. Utilizing best practices, this session will highlight how governments and development partners can fully engage youth in all aspects of economic decision-making. The expected outcome is a concrete strategy to achieve this goal.
18:00 - 19:30: Special joint AUC/ECA ceremony honouring the UN Secretary-General
Venue: CR1
20:00 -22:00 Welcoming cocktail reception
Venue: Sheraton
Friday, 17 November
9:00 - 10:30 Plenary Session 2
Theme: Youth and Social Development
Venue: Conference Room 1
Chair: Youth representative
Introductory Presentations of the Cluster:
• Mrs Fama Ba, Director UNFPA Division for Africa
• A Youth Discussant
• Mrs. Zahra Abi Kamil, OIF Representative to the AU
Discussions from the floor
This plenary session will examine the role of youth in social development and their contribution as leaders to this agenda. Presentations will be made to introduce issues of culture and intergenerational relations, the specific challenges of girls and young women, the situation of young people and children, youth and religion, young people in urban and rural settings, the contribution of youth volunteerism to development and the overall participation of youth in social transformation.
10:30 - 13:00 Parallel Breakout Sessions
Culture and Intergenerational Relations
Venue: Conference Room 2
African culture is highly heterogeneous containing a mixture of traditional and modern values. Considering the importance of culture for social development, this session will examine the mechanisms for intergenerational transfer of social and cultural values with a focus on the "positive" aspects of culture. By documenting best practices, the expected outcome of this session is a framework and action plan to promote positive cultural and intergenerational relations.
• Girls and Young Women
Venue: Conference Room 3
To eliminate socially imposed attitudes that negatively affect girls and young women in African societies, governments and development partners must adopt a gender approach to policymaking and programming. To this end, this session will review interventions that enhance the participation of girls and young women in socio-economic and political life. It will also review to what extent African countries have implemented international commitments such as the Beijing Platform for Action. The session is also expected to come up with a road map that will help promote the socio-economic progress of girls and young women.
• Youth and Children
Venue: Conference Room 4
African youth, especially young women, play a dominant role in the raising and caring of children on the continent. However, interventions have largely failed to address the vulnerabilities of youth in this capacity. At the same time, young people are potential role models for these children. This session will seek out ways to incorporate young people in public policymaking in order to enhance the social development of children in Africa. It is expected that this session will also lead to the development of community level programmes to promote positive youth role models for African children.
• Youth in the Religious Setting
Venue: Conference Room 5
African societies are highly religious. But how does religion influence development in Africa? In particular, how do young people respond to religion and utilize the powers of religion to achieve their own economic and social goals in life? This session will attempt to document best practices in youth development undertaken by various religious groups including traditional religious organizations. It will also discuss ways and means to strengthen the role of religious organizations in development. It is expected that this session will initiate a draft social-religious code that reflects the principles of human rights, tolerance, transparency and accountability.
• Risks and Opportunities for Youth in Urban and Rural Settings
Venue: Conference Room 6
Facing limited prospects in rural areas, young Africans are drawn to cities. However, to cope with the challenges of urban life, young people need to be both economically and socially creative. It is expected that this session will build on the strategic outcomes of the recent World Urban Youth Forum in terms of reducing the risks that young people face and enhancing opportunities for the fulfilment of their aspirations in the urban setting. And for those who remain in the rural areas, the session will explore the opportunities and difficulties of rural life.
• Youth Volunteerism
Venue: Large Briefing Room
Volunteerism is a mechanism that offers benefits both to the society at large and the individual volunteer. Yet, volunteerism amongst young Africans remains under-utilized. This session will focus on the participation of youth in voluntary activities, including those organised by national, regional and international organizations with the view to making proposals for strengthening youth volunteerism. It is expected that this session will lead to the development of a framework for establishing an African Youth Volunteer programme and the implementation of the African Youth Charter.
• Youth Participation in Social Transformation
Venue: Caucus Room 11
Social transformation captures the notion of the way society changes in response to a range of material, cultural and political influences. Young Africans are the most energetic and creative segment of society, and thus have the potential to contribute to positive social transformation at the community, national and regional-levels. However, governments have largely ignored this possibility; rather they tend to see youth as a source of negative social ills. This session will define social transformation and reach a consensus on how to utilize the skills of young people to secure positive social changes for both themselves and the broader community.
13:00 - 14:30 Lunch Break
14:30 - 16:00 Plenary Session 3:
Theme: Youth and Political Development
Venue: Conference Room 1
Chair: Mrs Julia Dolly Joiner, AU Commissioner
• Special Message by the President of Switzerland
• Introductory Presentations of the Cluster by:
• Dr Salim Ahmed Salim (former OAU Secretary General)
• A Youth discussant
• Discussions from the floor
This plenary session will give an overview of the challenges of involving youth in political development processes. Presentations will be made at the session to introduce the issues of building a consensus around a definition of youth, the strategies to promote African citizenship and the contribution of youth in peace building and conflict resolution.
16:00 - 18:30 Parallel Breakout Sessions
• Characterization and Definition of Youth
Venue: Conference Room 2
Youth represents a period of transition, but for this reason it is an intermediary and ambivalent category. With ratification of international conventions by African governments, a single juridical age of maturity has gradually been introduced, though not fully accepted across Africa. The definition of youth has implications for public policy, and therefore, this session will attempt to reach consensus on: "who are Africa's youth?" It is expected that the session will lead to a consensus on the rationale for the "definition of youth" adopted in the African Youth Charter.
• African Identity and Citizenship
Venue: Conference Room 3
This session will focus on issues of national and African identity, and citizenship. For many young people citizenship has not much real meaning in the absence of such necessities as access to quality education, employment and political structures. At the same time, what it means to be an African young citizen needs to be defined. It is expected that the session will lead to a consensus on strategies for developing skills for national and African citizenship as well as nurturing the environment for the actualization of the African citizenship among youth.
• African Youth in the Diaspora:
Venue: Conference Room 4
The direct contribution of African youth in the Diaspora to the continent's development is low compared with that of foreign youth on the continent. This session will discuss and share experiences arising from African Diaspora initiatives such as the African Union Diaspora Initiative, explore and identify innovative ways and mechanisms at the national and regional level for harnessing the resources (financial, intellectual and otherwise) of youth in the Diaspora, and develop consensus on practical and strategic plans for inclusion of these youth in Africa's development processes.
• Youth in Conflict Resolution and Peace Building
Venue: Conference Room 5
Youth are too often caught up in wars and civil conflict on the continent. Thus, to rebuild peace it is essential that governments and development partners engage youth as part of post-conflict strategies and also address their social and economic concerns. This session will address: why young people have been involved in recent armed conflicts; effective options for addressing youth needs in immediate post-conflict situations as well as during periods of peace-building and post-war reconstruction; and experiences on conflict prevention. It is expected that this session will deliver concrete recommendations for a youth in conflict resolution and peace building strategy.
• Youth Participation in Political Processes :
Venue : Conference Room 6
Governments and all development partners should be concerned with young people, as major contributors to the development process and as citizens in their own right. This session will consider how youth can have a positive contribution to the political process, addressing such issues as incorporating marginalized groups, youth in the context of political integration across the continent, and what we can learn from traditional youth chiefs. It is expected that this session will provide input into developing an action plan for promoting youth participation in political processes.
Saturday, 18 November
9: 00 - 11:00 Plenary Session 4
Theme: Operationalizing the African Youth Charter
Venue: Conference Room 1
Chair: H.E. Mrs Jamesetta H. Wolokollie, Minister of Youth and Sports, Liberia
Introductory Presentations by:
• Prof. Najia Essayed, AU Commissioner
• A Youth representative
• Debate
• Closing remarks
11:00 - 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:30 Plenary Session 5
Theme: Consideration of the Draft Consensus Statement
Venue: Conference Room 1
Chair: H.E. Mr Moeng Pheto , Minister of Labor and Home Affairs, Botswana
• Presentation of the Consensus Statement by Youth representatives: a girl and a boy
- Adoption
12:30 - 14:30 Lunch Break
14:30-18:00 Plenary Session 6
Theme: Youth Dialogue with Political Leaders
Venue: Conference Room 1
Chair: Prime Minister of Ethiopia
Panellists : Heads of State and Government
18:00 - 19:00 CLOSING CEREMONY
Chair: Prof. Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson of AUC
Venue: Conference Room 1
• Closing Remarks by:
• Youth representative
• Minister of Youth from Benin
• The Executive Secretary of ECA
• The President of AfDB
• The Chairperson of the AUC
19:00 - 19:30 Press Conference
Venue: Conference Room 1