25 Hours of DAKAR: Declaration of adolescents and young people of west and central Africa

To amplify the voice of African youth on their way to the Nairobi Summit on CIPD25, members of the African Youth and Adolescents Network on Population and Development of West and Central (AfriYAN), benefiting from the tireless support of the Regional Office of the United Nations Population Fund, have largely consulted amongst themselves and declare:

Considering:

• The challenges of Agenda 2063 of the African Union, the Maputo Expanded Plan of Action (2016-2030) for operationalizing the continental policy framework on Health and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and the Abuja Framework for Action for the Elimination of HIV / AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Africa by 2030;
• The challenges and the need to implement the African Youth Charter as a legal and political instrument in Africa;
• The challenges of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development beyond 2014 (AADPD) and the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development;
• The essential links between people and their ability to achieve sustainable economic development and that young people, especially girls and boys, remain the main drivers of sustainable development and demographic transition of the continent;
• Efforts made for youth must be strengthened in light of the African Union Roadmap under the theme: "Making the most from the Demographic Dividend by Investing in Youth";
•  The commitment of African Heads of State and Government to increase investments for young people and to exploit the demographic dividend for the development of the continent.

Recommend:

1. The monitoring and effective implementation, at all levels, of the application of the African Youth Charter and the operationalization of the African Union roadmap for the capture of the Demographic Dividend with an effective involvement and active accountability of youth organizations;
2. The realization of the commitments and the implementation of international conventions and treaties on governance, health rights, education and youth employment in Africa;
3. The establishment of an international coalition to capture the demographic dividend in Africa with a view to making youth a continuing priority;
4. The support for the development and implementation of a regional and continental strategy to strengthen efforts and fight drastically against the security threat, the instrumentalization and the radicalization and illegal emigration of African youth in armed conflicts and growing terrorism especially in West and Central Africa; `
5. The institutional and organizational strengthening of AfriYAN country networks for their empowerment and the participation of youth and adolescents in decision-making bodies at all levels;
6. The increase of youth representation in all decision-making platforms addressing sustainable development and other issues related to the well-being, development and employability of youth;
7. The strengthening of youth-led mechanisms and networks for sexual health awareness, investment and coordination to support the development of human capital;
8. The establishment of youth focal points in all regional and continental programs and initiatives aimed at promoting of African youth, economic and social development;
9. The support for the consolidation and scaling up of the Sahel Regional Initiative on Women's Empowerment and the Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) in West and Central Africa to accelerate the transition of Demographic Dividend and reduce gender inequality in the Sahel region;
10. The establishment of a mechanism to support entrepreneurship amongst young people and women, taking into account the vulnerable groups (people with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups).

We, the Youth of Africa:

• Thank Senegal for hosting the first edition of the 25H of Dakar
• Thank UNFPA for creating this beautiful platform ,which we wish to see its institutionalization to make it an annual event;
• Thank the young people for their militant commitment.

Dakar, August 7^th, 2019