On the occassion of celebrating the 20th anniversary of the African Union, the African Union’s Youth Envoy, Ms. Chido Cleopatra Mpemba has put out a call for Heads of States to continue creating meaningful opportunities for youth involvement. Uniformly calling her peers to continue pursuing the advancement of their needs and active participation.
Mpemba makes her assertions ahead of her debut AU Summit, post her appointment by the Chairperson of the AU Commission, His Excellency, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
“Attending and participating at the 35th AU Summit is special because it presents me with an opportunity to engage with all the Head of States, from across the African continent; presenting the mandate of my fellow peers, African sisters and brothers; the youth” said Mpemba.
The 35th gathering of the contient’s leadership will see strategic dialogue take centre stage under the theme “Building Resilience in Nutrition on the African Continent: Accelerate the Human Capital, Social and Economic Development” with the youth playing a critical role in helping drive the implementation as the continent builds towards the Africa we all want.
Mpemba remarked that this year’s theme speaks to one of the major needs of many of her peers, across the continent; especially in times of the current pandemic.
“It would be wonderful to engage with the African Union Nutrition Champion and champion of African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN), His Majesty King Letsie III, to see how we can collaborate in advancing the cause of policy implementation, advocacy and coordination at the youth level,”
“Likewise, other African Union champions, we have the opportunity to engage and synergise our efforts to better serve the youth under the guidance of the Office of the Chairperson,” in line with the Youth Envoy’s priority areas, which she aims to ensure cover a range
Mpemba has set her sights on a clear target for her term in office, setting a goal that would see the interests of her peers elevated even further.
“Through the Chairperson, one of my key focus areas in subsequent summits, will be the staging of an AU Youth Summit ahead of the AU Head of States Summit, as an opportunity to provide youth on the continent with the platform to contribute meaningfully to the programs and plans of the African Union towards achieving the Agenda 2063
“To further amplify youth voices in decision making processes at the highest level and mainstream the work of the organisation.”
“This will help better engineer a youth led agenda of building a prosperous Africa, together. Young people have to be represented at all levels to drive inter-generational co-leadership, in building a continent that does not leave any one behind!”
Finally, Chido has also encouraged African youth to participate at this year’s summit, saying “my constituents and esteemed youth, are we in this together? Our participation remains integral in the sustainable development of our continent, let us get involved and be part of these conversations because we are #AfricanYouthLed”
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#1MillionBy2021 brief by the AUC Chairperson: 04 February 2022
ABOUT AFRICAN UNION YOUTH ENVOY
The African Union Youth Envoy is the youngest diplomat at the African Union Commission. The AU Youth Envoy is mandated to serve as a representative of and advocate for the voices and interests of African youth to the relevant African Union decision-making bodies. The AU Youth Envoy’s office engages African Youth on the continent and in the diaspora to draw them towards supporting and promoting positive social change, intergenerational dialogue and concrete action for Africa’s development as underscored in Agenda 2063.
The AU Office of the Youth Envoy is a Pan-African collaborative movement, supporting the work of the African Union and Departments on youth mainstreaming and advocacy for the implementation of progressive policies and impactful actions that promote youth participation, engagement and leadership towards the realisation of real transformation for youth.
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