Statement from UNOY’s African Youth Advocacy Team

Call for an Immediate and Transparent Process to Fill the position of the African Union Office of the Youth Envoy

The United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) and members of its African Youth Advocacy Team (AYAT) are calling for an immediate and transparent process to fill the position of the African Union Office of the Youth Envoy (AU OYE).

UNOY is a network of 123 youth-led organisations in 69 countries, united around the vision of a world free from violence where youth participation is real and meaningful, and where youth are considered equal partners. The AYAT is a group of 16 young peacebuilders from across the African continent, working to promote meaningful youth engagement in policy and practice, at all levels of decision-making (local, national, and regional).

We would like to express our recognition of the groundbreaking work carried out by the outgoing AU Youth Envoy, Ms. Aya Chebbi and her team.

A few of the achievements over the two-year period include: the African Union Commission’s launch of the 1 Million by 2021, which impacted the lives of millions of youth in regards to their education, employment, entrepreneurship, and engagement across the continent and in the diaspora. The collection of over 1000 guns in the South Sudanese Rumbek community from youth who chose the path of peace. The Office of the Youth Envoy also engaged in advocacy efforts to end Female Genital Mutilation and Early Child Marriages as well as putting youth at the centre of the African Free Trade Area, the Free movement protocol, Digital Transformation, and Diaspora engagement.

There is no doubt as to the magnitude of the work carried out by the team in the course of their mandate, which ran from 2018 to early 2021. Ms. Chebbi has not only been very successful in her role, but has proven that young people in Africa are ready to contribute to the developmental policies of the continent and play a central role in its leadership and implementation of policies.

We are very proud of the work that the AU OYE accomplished in the last two years, and want to see it continued. As such, there is an urgent need for a new young person to carry the work of the AU Youth Envoy forward. However, UNOY and its members of the African Youth Advocacy Team have noted with concern that there has been no sign of a transparent process for the nomination of the next Youth Envoy.

For this reason, UNOY and its African Youth Advocacy Team, are urging the African Union to organise a transparent, open and fair process to fill the position of the AU Youth Envoy. This would aid the continuity of the work of the outgoing team and give young people across the continent more hope and encouragement that their voices matter. The transparency of the process will directly impact the ownership that young people have over youth, peace and security on the African Continent.