The African Youth Consultative Forum on the UN Summit of the Future convened on 26 and 27 April at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Organized by the Pan African Youth Union (PYU), the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the forum aimed to mobilize African youth to actively shape the outcomes of the upcoming UN Summit of the Future, scheduled for September 2024 in New York.

Building on the African Youth Charter and the UN’s commitment to youth empowerment, the forum, under the theme ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’, sought to mobilize youth representatives from across African Member States to articulate their perspectives, priorities and solutions for addressing global challenges and also inform the UN Future Summit.

The forum brought together over 100 youth representatives from across African Member States to articulate a common African youth position on the UN Summit of the Future, following the principle of “two agendas, one framework” adopted in the implementation of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030 by the African Union and the United Nations.

Prudence Nonkululeko Ngwenya, Director of the Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate, underscored the need for continuous investment in women and young people to fully harness their untapped potential.

‘This requires being deliberate about demanding increased investment in education, skills development and entrepreneurship and providing the tools young people need to succeed in this ever-changing world. It also means leveraging these safe spaces and enabling environments to participate fully in decision-making processes, shaping policies that affect our lives and the future of our continent,' she said.

The forum focused on five key strategic areas: sustainable development and financing for development, international peace and security, science, technology, innovation, and digital cooperation, youth and future generations and transforming global governance.

Oliver Mutetsi, Vice President for East Africa Region of the Pan African Youth Union, emphasized the importance of providing support and opportunities for youth to realize their full potential and contribute to sustainable development and inclusive growth.

Mutetsi further highlighted that youth inclusion in key decision-making at local, national and regional levels is vital in achieving Africa’s developmental agenda. Indeed, a central principle of the 2030 Agenda is the assurance that “no one will be left behind.”

The SDGs are meant for all nations, all peoples of all ages and all societies. They entail that youth should be considered across all Goals and targets. In this view, the UN Summit of the Future will bring together UN Member States, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), academic institutions, the private sector and youth under the theme, ‘Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’.

'We will unlock Africa's full potential through sustainable development, peace & security, science, technology, innovation and youth empowerment,” he added. This once-in-a-generation opportunity serves as an opportunity to rebuild trust and demonstrate that international cooperation can effectively tackle current, emerging and anticipated challenges.

The two-day consultative preparatory forum culminated in the development of a Youth Position Paper highlighting priority issues for the development of the continent, to be submitted at the Summit of the Future in New York.