BUJUMBURA May 25th (ABP) – Burundi is hosting from May 24 to 25, 2022, in Bujumbura, a “Youth for Peace” seminar organized by the EASF (East Africa Standby Force) in collaboration with the African Union (AU), under the theme “Youth Shaping Peace and Protecting Environment” for young leaders from AU Member States EASF, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
In his opening speech, the Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Mr. Syldie Manirerekana, remarked to the young leaders representing the member states of the EASF that the government of Burundi recognizes the leading role played by young people in maintaining peace and security, the basis for the development of the African continent in general and of their respective countries in particular.
According to Mr. Manirerekana, the recognition of the role of young people can be seen through the efforts made by the government of Burundi in order to give priority to the inclusion of young people in the promotion of peace and security as well as the strengthening capacity of young people through various initiatives. Those include the creation of a bank for young people and the training of young people in entrepreneurship, in order to enable them to fully play their role in the development of the country, he underlined.
In order to ensure that young people benefit from the dividends of these initiatives, the assistant to the Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs pointed out that it is imperative to involve young people in the promotion of peace and security for increased growth. of our region and therefore of our continent. “This occasion offers Burundi the opportunity to measure the importance of its role in front of this African youth who observes and hopes to find with Africa the path that can lead it to a better tomorrow without always counting on the outside of the continent,” Mr. Manirerekana added.
Certainly, that youth, agent of peace and actor of development, must be seriously prepared to be at the level of taking over in the responsible management of national, regional, continental and global governance, and to do better where their elders would have failed. , continued Mr. Manirerekana, emphasizing, moreover, that the training from which young people will benefit will be a favorable opportunity to better grasp the challenges that haunt their future and to acquire what is needed to draw up national action plans on youth issues, peace and security.
“EASF Member States have an obligation to create a healthy climate, making it possible to respond to the needs of young people, to encourage their participation, to amplify their voice and to support their actions so that they actively contribute to the consolidation of peace in the region and in the world”, remarked the Assistant to the Minister in charge of Development Cooperation, while estimating that during these two days, the young people of East Africa will learn a lot things and above all how to deal with emerging challenges, as current and future leaders of the continent.
Mr. Manirerekana ended his remarks by thanking the EASF secretariat for having chosen Burundi to host these meetings. He took that opportunity to reaffirm that Burundi will spare no effort to promote the inclusion of young people in all socio-economic dimensions.
Speaking on behalf of all the young leaders of the EASF Member States present in these meetings, Mr. Alain Ruto of the Republic of Kenya stressed that peace does not simply mean the absence of war, but it does also means the presence of justice where people live peacefully in a just and humane society.
The representative of young Burundian leaders and president of the National Youth Council (CNJ), Dr. Thierry Ingabire, informed the participants that Burundian youth appreciate the government of Burundi which has given a place of choice to youth in all its programs. “Despite the conflicts we have experienced in the past and the different political practices, Burundian youth have decided to work as brothers and sisters in cooperatives while sharing the benefits of peace and security,” he said. underline. Note that the active member states of the EASF are Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.