The 4th AU-EU Youth Summit took place from 9 to 11 October 2017 in Abidjan. The two main outcomes of the Summit were the Abidjan Youth Declaration which calls for action on six themes - business and job creation; culture, sports and arts; education and skills; environment and climate change; governance and political inclusion; and peace and security.
The Declaration is the first step of the programme that will be developed by 36 Fellows chosen to implement AU-EU Youth Plug In Initiative (YPII). The Youth Fellows (18 from each political union, spread equally along gender lines and including Europeans of African Descent) will plug into AU and EU institutions in Addis Ababa and Brussels throughout October-November 2017. Divided into six cluster groups to tackle each theme identified by the Declaration, the Fellows will draft the Youth Agenda and programme that will be endorsed by the AU and EU Heads of State at the 5th AU-EU Summit from 29 to 30 November 2017 in Abidjan.
16 AU countries are represented among the Youth Fellows: Algeria; Burundi; Cape Verde; DRC; Kenya (2); Egypt; Ethiopia; Mauritania; Namibia; Nigeria (2); Sierra Leone; Sudan; Swaziland; Tanzania; Uganda and Zimbabwe. UNFPA worked with partners to facilitate a half-day session with the Fellows to ensure that key crosscutting issues such as health (including sexual and reproductive health and rights); gender equality and women and girls' empowerment; migration and mobility; and ICT are well integrated and reflected in the final youth agenda. These cross-cutting themes are identified in the AU Roadmap to Harness the Demographic Dividend through Investments in Youth, Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and AU Agenda 2063 10-year implementation plan as critical investments to ensure inclusive growth and sustainable development.
