Latest News And Updates
The AFS Forum 2024 underscored and reaffirmed the fundamental importance of food systems, and the critical situation faced by the food and agriculture sectors on this continent. Under the theme “Innovate, Accelerate, and Scale: Delivering Food Systems Transformation in a Digital and Climate Era”, it set out to launch Africa’s food systems into a transformative era based on sustainability and resilience.
The Africa Youth Forum, held on 15th August 2024 at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya, brought together a diverse assembly of 382 delegates, including leaders, policymakers, youth advocates, and other stakeholders, to explore and advance youth-led solutions for transformative change. The forum was attended by representatives from all 47 Kenyan counties and 6 African countries—Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Notably, 72% of the delegates were between the ages of 18 and 35, and 42% of the delegates were women, highlighting the forum's commitment to inclusivity and gender representation. The event centered around breaking barriers and amplifying youth voices through constructive dialogue, with a strong emphasis on sustainable development.
These are Youth Recommendations on International Partnerships elaborated through a participative process by young people engaged in the implementation of the Youth Action Plan in EU External Action and under the initiative of the members of the EU Youth Sounding Board for International Partnerships. They have been presented at the Global Gateway High-Level Youth Event that took place in Brussels
on 9 and 10 October 2024.
The Africa common position on Food Systems provides a synthesis of member states’ expressed views, perspectives and priorities as well as ambitions on key issues shaping Africa’s and the global food systems. In 2003, Africa adopted the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) as a continental policy framework for agricultural transformation to increase food security and nutrition and reduce poverty. In 2014 Africa renewed this commitment to agriculture transformation under the African Union (AU) CAADP Malabo declaration on agricultural growth and transformation with an expanded set of goals and targets to be achieved by 2025
The Youth Cafe participated in the Launching of the EU Youth Empowerment Fund Launch (YEF). YEF is the key flagship of the empowerment pillar of the Youth Action Plan in EU External Action (YAP). The YAP features flagships for the three pillars of the plan: engage, connect and empower. The YEF will be implemented as a pilot initiative worth €10 million that will provide direct financial support to youth-led initiatives in partner countries focusing on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the local level, in particular on environment and climate change and the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalised youth.
The 75th anniversary of the UN came at a time when the world was confronting the shared threats of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, the risks and opportunities of technological advances, and the stagnation of the Sustainable Development Goals. In recognition of these trends and our unprecedented interconnectedness, Member States pledged to strengthen global governance and asked the Secretary-General for his recommendations to address current and future challenges. The Secretary-General responded with Our Common Agenda, calling for solidarity between people, countries and generations and a corresponding renewal of the multilateral system to accelerate the implementation of existing commitments and fill gaps in global governance that have emerged since 2015.
On 25 May 2023, The Youth Cafe Collaborated with OHCHR DESIB in a virtual Youth Engagement Session: This 90 minutes webinar session brought together youth from different countries and backgrounds in a dialogue to identify barriers to implementing economic, social, and cultural rights and approaches to operationalize these rights as a framework for addressing local and global challenges; raise awareness of the young people across the world about economic, social and cultural rights; promote initiatives and diverse implications of the youth; and to strengthen the linkages between the youth-led organizations.
“ We, the African Heads of State and Government, gathered for the inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 4th to 6th September 2023; in the presence of other global leaders, intergovernmental organizations, Regional Economic Communities, United Nations Agencies, private sector, civil society organizations, indigenous peoples, local communities, farmer organizations, children, youth, women and academia, hereby:
The Youth Cafe (TYC) participated in the EU Multi-Annual Indicative Program Review consultative meeting in the esteemed presence of The European Union ambassador to Kenya, Ms. Heinrette Geiger. The consultations included presentations of the EU Kenya bilateral program (MIP) priorities, progress to date, and what is expected to happen during 2024-2027.
Every three years, the Women Deliver Conference galvanizes momentum for gender equality. It is a bold and diverse gathering, a fueling station of ideas, and a generator of action, convening thousands to identify solutions and drive change for girls and women. The first Women Deliver (WD) conference was held in London, UK, in 2007, bringing together 1,700 people and making the investment case for reproductive and maternal health; Women Deliver secured MDG 5 – Improve Maternal Health – on the global development agenda.
