The Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department (PAPS) of the African Union Commission is organizing an experience-sharing roundtable dialogue to promote the development and implementation of national action plans (NAPs) on youth, peace and security (YPS). The discussions, which will take place from 12 to 13 April 2023 at the African Union (AU) Headquarters, will bring together representatives from member states that have adopted NAPs, member states that have officially begun the process of developing NAPs, and member states that have expressed strong interest to follow suit.
The two-day exchange will provide a platform to share best practices and lessons learnt and to develop more robust approaches in the national and regional implementation of AU Peace and Security Council decisions from its 933rd, 963rd and 1067th meetings, as well as the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2250 (2015), 2419 (2018) and 2535 (2021) in advancing the YPS Agenda in Africa, in collaboration with regional economic communities and regional mechanisms (RECs/RMs) as well as national and international partners.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria have adopted NAPs for YPS. Cameroon, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe are officially developing these, while Burundi, Kenya, Namibia, The Gambia and Uganda have expressed strong interest in doing the same. Following this experiential knowledge exchange, over forty representatives from these member states will form a community of practice to promote exchanges of resources and support each other and member states aiming to encourage interaction and cooperation between YPS stakeholders.
The PAPS Department will concurrently host a roundtable dialogue on women, peace and security (WPS) and YPS and an award initiative for women and youth organizations in recognition and support of the critical role that civil society plays in implementing the WPS and YPS agendas. Three awards each will be presented in the WPS and YPS categories to women-led and youth-led organizations or networks operating at the grassroots level recognized for their outstanding contributions to conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding measures, making a positive and transformative difference in their communities, countries or region.
The awardees were selected by a Commission-wide committee comprised of representatives from the African Union’s Gender, Peace and Security and Youth for Peace Africa programs, the Femwise-Africa network and the Women, Gender and Youth Division. AU member states and partners are, therefore, through this, encouraged to continue supporting youth and women’s agencies in governance and peacebuilding processes towards consolidating more inclusive and democratic societies for greater peace, stability and development in Africa.
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