youth-conference-for-africans

Application Deadline: 21 FEBRUARY 2014.

Are you passionate about development? Do you want to make a lasting and meaningful change?

The World Conference on Youth 2014, “Mainstreaming Youth in the Post 2015 Development Agenda” will take place from 6 to 10 May, 2014 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The Conference has a unique aim of producing a joint outcome document between governments and youth, called “Colombo Action Plan”.

The Conference is expected to bring together 1500 participants, half of them young people, and 150 of them will come from marginalised backgrounds, making the conference one of the most well represented youth events at the global level.

The pre-conference process is led by an independent international youth task force which represents major global youth organisations and regional platforms ensuring regional and gender balance.

How to participate:

There are 5 different categories of youth delegates:

International Youth Delegates (350 people). Direct applications can be done on the website and are focused on a few categories:
- Youth from international youth-led organisations (78 people) – to represent international networks/organisations and regional youth platforms active at the international level.
- Youth from marginalised youth (150 people) – to make sure that young people’s voices who are often ignored are given space.
- Youth leaders/experts (60 people) – to ensure that youth activists, trade unions, faith and political parties, academic and development negotiations are involved.
Sri Lankan Youth Delegates: As host country, Sri Lanka will select 100 young Sri Lankans to participate
National Youth Delegates (2 per country/400 people). They are to be selected by governments in cooperation with National Youth Councils where they exisit or by a committees of young people when a National Youth Council doesn’t exist. If you are a National Youth Council or a young person active nationally you should first contact the Ministry responsible for Youth and/or the National Youth Council to apply nationally.
Facilitators (42 people)– to support the running of the conference
Young bloggers/journalists (20 people) to make sure that the outreach of the conference is high and all young people with different languages can follow the conference.

For More Information and Application Procedure:

Visit the Official Webpage of the World Conference on Youth.

The 2013 African Youth and Governance Conference (AYGC), the fifth in a series, has been launched in Accra, with a call on all stakeholders to make a contribution towards its success.

The conference, which is planned to coincide with the International Youth Day (IYD) 2013, is expected to provide another excellent opportunity to deepen global youth dialogue through their participation.

The conference would discuss the core issues facing the youth by calling and working with all stakeholders including African governments, development agencies, educational institutions, the private sector and the youth themselves to develop and implement appropriate policies and programmes to reap the benefits presented by the potentially large creative force of youth power.

About 250 youth delegates from over 35 African countries and African Diaspora including youth delegates from the European Youth Parliament (EYP) and the Americas are attending the three-day conference to be hosted by the Youth Bridge Foundation (YBF) from the 7th to the 9th of August, 2013 in Accra.

The theme for the conference is ‘Youth Inclusive Governance―Harnessing Africa’s Demographic Potential.’

Addressing a news conference to launch the conference in Accra, the Executive Director of YBF, Mr Seth Oteng, noted that given the right platform, training and exposure, the young African would be positioned to champion a sustainable development agenda in peace in Africa.

Mr Oteng said the YBF was committed to working with partners such as the Statistical Service of Ghana in defining a road map for Ghana in relation to demographic trends and development.

In a statement to launch the conference, Dr Philomena Nyarko, Government Statistician, noted that without strong institutions and favourable economic policies to tap the huge potential of the youth, the prospects of Africa’s young population becoming the driving force behind the continent’s economic prosperity would be elusive, as large numbers of young adults could face labour markets that would be unable to provide them with gainful employment.

It was in the absence of an annual event to mobilise the youth of Africa together that the AYGC was established in 2009 as a continental platform for the critical discussion of issues affecting the development of the continent, in general, and the youth, in particular.

Since its inception, the AYGC has been organised with the collaboration of the Government of Ghana, through a non-partisan multi-sectoral support from the Presidency, Ministries of Youth and Sports, Foreign Affairs and the Interior as well as support from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), UN-Volunteer Programme, NEWMONT and Kenya Airways, among others.

On the other hand, the YBF, established in 2009, has gained wide international recognition, having been accredited in 2011 with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Special Consultative Status which confers on the YBF a number of privileges and obligations in promoting youth development.

The core mission of the YBF is to bridge socio-economic and political gap to ensure positive youth development.

Source: Official Portal of the Government of Ghana

The 2014 World Conference on Youth – Apply Now to become a delegate.

How to participate:

Ghana To Host African Youth and Governance Conference 2013.