Morocco’s Youth Minister, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, has highlighted the efforts made by his country towards the implementation of the African Youth Charter.
Mr Bensaid spoke at the just-ended African Ministerial Conference hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco this week.
The Ministerial Conference was attended by 100 young leaders, representatives of National Youth Councils, civil society and African youth platforms.
In attendance were several African Ministers of Youth from Burkina Faso, Botswana, Niger, Namibia, Mali, Somalia, Malawi, Ghana, and Senegal, as well as officials from Cameroon and Togo, among others.
The Charter is meant to provide young people with a political and legal framework intended to support the development of youth activities at the continental, regional and national levels in Africa.
In accordance with the edict of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the North African country aims to strengthen cooperation with fellow African countries to foster the emergence of African youth.
Mr Bensaid, whose Ministry also encompasses Culture and Communication, said they desired to strengthen and consolidate the empowerment efforts of African youth.
He said this could be done by promoting significant participation in the continent’s social, economic and political development agenda.
He also reiterated his country’s commitment to strengthening South-South cooperation, saying it was at the centre of the Kingdom’s foreign policy under the leadership of King Mohammed VI.
He stressed the need to reposition the Pan-African Youth Union as a continental decision-making body to carry the voice of African youth and provide real solutions to their problems.
The President of the Pan-African Youth Union, Moumouni Dialla, said the African Youth Charter “aims to protect young people against discrimination and guarantees them freedom of movement, speech, association, religion, property and other human rights while committing to promote their participation in society.”
He hailed His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the warm welcome given to the participating delegations.
Mr Dialla paid tribute to the Sovereign for his leadership favouring African youth and stressed the importance of projects initiated with the African child in mind.
He further highlighted the importance of the Pan African Youth Union as a continental body advocating for the establishment of sound public policies for African youth.
The African Ministers participating in this ministerial conference and the heads of the delegation stressed the need to preserve this institution and enhance its contribution to continental decision-making further.
The delegates expressed their gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI for his unfailing royal commitment to promoting the conditions of African youth.
