“The African Youth Charter is a legal achievement reflecting governments’ commitment to empowering youth”
The Global South Youth Bureau at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, through a simulation model of the African Union, on Monday celebrated African Youth Day.
The event was attended by a select group of youth leaders, researchers, and student cadres from various Egyptian universities, particularly those specialising in languages, translation, Al- Alsun and political science.
The event featured an introductory session on the African Youth Charter, presented by the anthropologist Hassan Ghazaly, Director of the Global South Youth Bureau at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Additionally, there was a discussion panel on life skills led by Nervana Fadel, General coordinator of the art of life management office under the Central Administration of the Minister of Youth and Sports’ Office. Furthermore, a workshop on the fundamentals of policy paper writing was conducted by researcher Mai Aglan, specialising in women, peace, and security.
Ghazaly opened the event with a warm welcome to the attendees, speakers, and guests, conveying the greetings of the Minister of Youth and Sports who was unable to attend due to prior commitments outside Greater Cairo. Ghazaly highlighted the theme chosen by the African Union for 2024, which emphasises the critical importance of education in building the future of the African continent. He also explained the significance of African Youth Day and the reasons for celebrating it.
Ghazaly stated that ‘the African Youth Charter is a significant legal achievement that reflects the African Union’s commitment to empowering youth and supporting their rights in various fields.’ He explained that the Charter, adopted in 2006 and entered into force in 2009, represents a vital framework for supporting youth participation in sustainable development and enhancing their role in governance, peace, and security at the continental level.”
Ghazaly indicated that the Charter addresses core issues for youth, such as education, employment, health, and political participation, emphasising that the Charter seeks to create an environment that guarantees equal opportunities for young people and helps them unleash their potential. He noted that the document calls for comprehensive national policies that respond to the needs and aspirations of youth and ensure government commitment to protecting their rights.
On her part, Nervana Fadel, General Coordinator of the ‘Art of Life Management’ Office, participated in a dialogue session where she discussed a number of core concepts in positive psychology, including psychological support, as well as the impact of prevailing trends and their accompanying thought contagion on individuals and society. Fadel stressed the importance of continuous effort and hard work to achieve desired goals, emphasising the importance of regularly reviewing and carefully evaluating ideas to ensure progress and benefiting from this psychological framework in building a balanced and healthy life.
In a related context, Aglan presented a rich workshop on public policies and related research papers, where she addressed a range of fundamental concepts and principles in this field. The session delved into the concepts of policy and public policy and their various types, such as specific policies, distributive policies, and redistributive policies. She also reviewed the characteristics of public policies and emphasized the need for them to be realistic and implementable within available resources.
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During the workshop, Aglan clarified the role of research institutions in supporting the public policy-making process, highlighting the importance of producing and disseminating research papers through social media platforms due to their effective impact on shaping public opinion and decision-making. The researcher also reviewed the life cycle of public policies, starting from their formulation, going through the implementation phase, and ending with the evaluation of their results.
In the second part of the session, Aglan provided practical guidelines for writing a policy recommendation paper, focusing on the need for brevity and avoiding excessive elaboration of solutions. She emphasised that the number of recommendations should not exceed four, with a clear presentation of the advantages and disadvantages of each recommendation separately, to ensure the provision of objective options that support decision-making.
In conclusion, Ghazaly emphasised the African Union Simulation Model’s endeavor to activate the African Youth Charter as a tool for reviewing member states’ implementation of genuine youth policies, in line with the Africa 2063 vision and Sustainable Development Goals, thus enhancing the opportunities for comprehensive progress for the continent’s youth.
