Africa-Press – Botswana. During a recent visit to Seychelles, a delegation from the African Union (AU) and the East African Standby Force (EASF) conducted a ‘Youth for Peace’ seminar and a workshop to discuss the continental framework on youth, peace and security.
In order to actualise Aspiration four (4) and six (6) of Agenda 2063 and its flagship project, silencingthe Guns, implement Article 17 of the African Youth Charter and the United Nations SecurityCouncil Resolution 2250, the Peace and Security Department, now Political Affairs, Peace andSecurity (PAPS) launched the Youth for Peace (Africa) Programme (Y4P) in September 2018. The main objective of the programme is to dissuade youth from violent actions and facilitate their meaningful participation in all spectrums of peace and security in Africa.
In this regard, the programme finalised the Continental Framework on Youth Peace and
Security and its 10-year implementation plan which were adopted by the AU in 2020.
These aim to ensure that youth roles and contributions to peace and security are recognised
and optimised while ensuring that hindrances to their active participation are removed.
The group of youth who took part in the seminar and workshop were SNYA representatives, Duke of Edinburgh representatives, two inner island representatives from the youth hostel, youth members from Diversity in Intelligence, youth officers from SNYC, Mont Fleuri secondary school, post-secondary institutions and some young police and military officers.
Know your responsibilities, your role and how to live in peace are the key messages that the EASF and AU officials highlighted to the youth during the two events held over two days at the Espace Building in Victoria.
The gatherings sought inputs from the youth of Seychelles in the development of a framework on youth, peace and security.
“It is common knowledge that many young people are involved in armed conflicts ravaging many countries on the African continent. Seychelles as a member of the AU where there is no conflict, bringing the young people together was an opportunity to see and discuss with them what exist here in terms of legislation in relations to the youth, peace and security,” Jules Hoareau, who is responsible for information and communication at EASF, said.
He noted that at present Seychelles only has the youth policy.
“We are looking at how we can incorporate the element of peace and security in the existing national legislations. We will also look at ways to use the youth of Seychelles as a model to promote peace. Even though there is no war in Seychelles the way the youth live their lives in the community and interact with each other should be promoted and be used to foster peace and security in the community, the country as a whole and ultimately the continent.
He noted that under the AU Resolution Council different structures have been established to ensure the youth are not implicated in conflicts.
“This is why under the AU Resolution Council, Resolution 2250 establishes different structures and mechanisms to involve the youth in different activities to prevent them from taking part in armed conflicts. In Seychelles, through the SNYC, we should explore more ways to engage the young people to promote peace not only here but also in the region so they become ambassadors of peace.
The two-day gathering took place under the theme ‘Protecting the environment and promoting peace’.
At the end of the last day the group of young people accompanied by AU, EASF, SNYC officials and led by the MNA for the Perseverance district, Desheila Bastienne, planted several trees at Perseverance 2.
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