THE AUC AND THE UNV SIGN AGREEMENT TO ENHANCE AFRICAN UNION YOUTH VOLUNTEER COPRS TOWARDS AGENDA 2063.
30 September 2014

Bonn, Germany – The African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) today signed a project document on enhancing the African Union Youth Volunteer Corps for peace and development in Africa. The project is based on the previous understanding where both organizations committed to harmonizing efforts to promote volunteering as a catalyst for advancing socio-economic development.
The AUC/UNV project responds to African Heads of States and Governments assembly decisions Assembly/AU/Dec.274 (XVI) of 2010 and EX.CL/Dec.644-667 (XIX) of 2011, which embraced volunteering to promote youth empowerment, Pan Africanism and youth employability skills.
Speaking at the signing, the AUC Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST), Dr Martial De-Paul Ikounga said, “We, at the African Union Commission, consider UNV an important partner towards achieving our goal of empowering and developing Africa’s youth. This project signifies commitment to our renewed cooperation aimed at achieving our shared goals”.
“With this partnership and project, UNV is tangibly supporting the African Union Commission’s powerful vision and helping it reach its ambitious goals,” said UNV Executive Coordinator Richard Dictus during the signing.
The project specifically focuses on enhancing The African Union Youth Volunteer Corps (AU-YVC) to efficiently respond to the development needs on the continent. It also aims to support Regional Economic Communities and African Union Member States in developing an understanding of volunteerism as a socio-economic resource for the development of the continent and work to strengthen harnessing this resource.
This signing comes as the African Union closed the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity and the launch of Agenda 2063 – the vision of Africa by Africans for the next 50 years. This project directly aims to empower young Africans to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063. Popularly themed ‘The Africa We Want’, the African Union Agenda 2063 encapsulates the voice of Africa’s people and their aspirations for the next 50 years. It emphasizes inclusive prosperity, integration, community participation, good governance and peace among many other ideals.
The African Union Commission is the Secretariat of the African Union, a 54- Member State regional organization. Its vision is that of “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena” and its mission is to be “An efficient and value-adding institution driving the African integration and development process in close collaboration with African Union Member States, the Regional Economic Communities and African citizens.” The AU Commission is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AU-YVC is a continental development program that recruits and works with youth volunteers, to work in all 54 countries across the African Union. AU-YVC promotes volunteering to deepen the status of young people in Africa as key participants in the delivery of Africa's human development targets and goals. For more information, please visit www.au.int.
UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UN Volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity.

Photos:
The AUC Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, Dr Martial De-Paul Ikounga (left), and UNV Executive Coordinator Richard Dictus sign a project document on enhancing the African Union Youth Volunteer Corps for peace and development in Africa. (UNV, 2014)
“With this partnership and project, UNV is tangibly supporting the African Union Commission’s powerful vision and helping it reach its ambitious goals,” said UNV Executive Coordinator Richard Dictus (right) during the signing. (UNV, 2014)

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dinfo@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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