BUJUMBURA April 5th (ABP) – Any State having ratified or acceded to the African Youth Charter implements a comprehensive and coherent national youth policy, according to article 12 of that Charter adopted on July 2, 2006 in Banjul, The Gambia.
That article specifies that this policy must be of an intersectoral nature, due to the interrelationship between the challenges that young people face. It adds that the drawing up of the national youth policy should be based on a massive consultation of young people, and should provide for the active participation of young people at all decision-making levels and governance relating to subjects concerning the youth and society in general.
In the same line of ideas, the perspective of youth must be taken into account in planning, in decision-making and in the drawing up of programs. The recruitment of youth focal points into government structures will facilitate this process, while mechanisms to address the challenges faced by youth should be designed within the framework of the country’s national development.
Furthermore, the policy should outline the definition of youth adopted and specify the sub-groups to be targeted for development. It must advocate for equal opportunities for young men and young women, Article 12 of the Charter continues to say, emphasizing that a baseline assessment or situation analysis will guide the policy on priority subjects for youth promotion.
As this policy is adopted by parliament and enacted into law, a national youth coordination mechanism will be established and serve as a platform for youth non-governmental organizations to participate in policy development as well as program implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
Thus, article 12 of that Charter concludes that national action programs accompanied by timetables must be drawn up and linked to an implementation and evaluation strategy with indicators to be defined. It is added that this action program must be accompanied by an adequate and sustainable budget allocation.
“A minor is someone aged 15 to 17 in accordance with State legislation, while a young person is one aged 15 to 35”, it was specified in the preamble to that Charter.