AU Peace and Security Council: Morocco Calls for Full and Meaningful Youth Participation in Violence Prevention, Peace Processes, and Governance in Africa

Addis Ababa – Morocco addressed the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) to ensure the full and meaningful participation of young people in violence prevention, peace processes, and governance in Africa.

Speaking at a public session on the theme of “Youth, Peace, and Security,” the Moroccan delegation emphasized the need to invest in training, mentoring, and capacity building for young Africans, particularly in mediation, dialogue, and preventive diplomacy, and to promote their inclusion in formal peace processes led by the African Union.

The delegation also called for the systematic involvement of members of the “WiseYouth” network in the AU’s preventive diplomacy, mediation, and peace efforts.

The development of national action plans on youth, peace, and security is essential to translating states’ commitments into concrete objectives, complete with timelines and resources, the delegation stressed.

It noted that the implementation of this agenda must also rely on monitoring mechanisms that integrate young people and support innovation, entrepreneurship, and employability, particularly through regional incubators and a Continental Fund for Youth Innovation and Investment.

It is also important to give young people better access to research and data to anticipate threats related to, among other things, climate change, food insecurity, migration, and digital technologies, the delegation continued.

The delegation also indicated that Morocco welcomes the appointment of Vanessa Nakate as the African Union’s Special Envoy for Youth and commends the role of the African Youth Ambassadors for Peace, the “WiseYouth” network, and the Pan-African Youth Union (PYU).

Hosted in Morocco and recognized by the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, as the continental coordinating body for youth organizations and the African Union’s reference body for youth-related issues, the PYU helps to bring their concerns to the attention of relevant bodies and to promote their commitment to peace, security, and development, the delegation noted, adding that the Kingdom provides technical and financial support to this organization to strengthen its work.

The delegation further emphasized that, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco contributes to the training of young Africans in diplomacy, conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, and efforts to combat extremism, particularly through the vocational and academic training programs of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation, in addition to national initiatives such as the New Development Model and the National Initiative for Human Development.

The delegation also stated that young Africans still face significant challenges, including limited access to education, unemployment, and insufficient participation in governance and decision-making. They believe these obstacles hinder their contribution to society and risk alienating a generation eager to participate in peace and development on the continent.

“By empowering young people to participate in decisions and peace processes, we are strengthening the foundations of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Africa,” the delegation concluded.