ALGIERS, Algeria, 26th October 2018-/African Media Agency/- The Ministerial Session of the Third African Union Specialized Technical Committee Meeting on Youth, Culture and Sports (STC-YCS–3) opened Thursday 25th October 2018, in Algiers, Algeria, under the theme “Role of African Youth in Building a Strong Culture towards Fighting Corruption”.
The opening ceremony was attended by H.E. Mohamed Hattab, Minister of Youth and Sport for Algeria, H.E Amira Elfadil, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, Ministries of Youth Sports and Culture Youth Organizations and Civil society, Diaspora Youth; Regional Economic Communities (RECs); African Union Sport Development Regions; Pan African Cultural Organizations; Sport Organizations; UN Organizations; Thematic experts; Media and various stakeholders.
In her opening remarks H.E Amira Elfadil, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs noted that to ensure sustainable development and contribute towards a common vision for the achievement of the Agenda 2063, Africa needs to ensure that the Role of the African Youth is strengthened through Culture and Sport towards fighting corruption.
“We need to embark on addressing the urgent need to end corruption as it is continuously seen as a major setback in the socio-economic and political development of the continent. 77 percent of Africa’s population is youth and mostly active in sport. As such Sport and Culture can make a major contribution to youth empowerment when properly harnessed” She added.
The Commissioner emphasized on the need to agree with clear recommendations on the Role of African Youth in Building a Strong Sport and Culture towards Fighting Corruption and to use all the means at disposal to ensure that Culture and Sport becomes significant instruments for addressing interests of the Youth, social and other challenges on the Continent.
Minister of Youth and Sport for Algeria H.E. Mohamed Hattab on his remarks noted the role of making strategic and socio-economic investments in youth to enable them to fight corruption in the continent. In his delivery, he indicated why it is so important for the continent to embrace youth as stakeholders in the fight against corruption and creating enabling environments that would be sustainable and equally empowering for the youth of the continent.
“Our youth are the vital component that we must embrace as leaders if we are to realize the aspirations of Agenda 2063. We need to move to a realization wherein we know that corruption deters the development of the continent and is a social dent that we need to straighten out. Africa is capable of realizing this and we are a nation of many possibilities if we embrace the contribution of our youth through sports and culture” ,he reiterated.
On her closing remarks, the Commissioner of Social Affairs said on behalf of H.E Prof. Sarah Anyang Agbor, AU Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology that the STC-YCS3 developed some clear recommendations on the Role of African Youth in Building a Strong Sport and Culture towards Fighting Corruption and to use all the means at our disposal to ensure that Culture and Sport becomes significant instruments for addressing interests of the Youth, social and other challenges on the Continent.
“It is therefore imperative that we strengthen our approaches and cooperation not only between ministries of Youth, Culture and Sports but also other key sectors and ministries amongst other initiatives as a way of developing synergies to address the challenges of corruption and how they affect youth in Africa” she added.
Emphasizing on the need to continue to harness the African demographic dividend, the Commissioner urged for strengthening the roles of our RECs, the AUC, Member States and Ministries in aiding youth and enabling their contributions in the fight against corruption, and to explore new areas to invest in the cultural sector and identify the types of skills and training to promote the growth and expansion of the creative sector, which will also provide much scope for youth entrepreneurship which is central in alleviating youth unemployment, and together achieve the AU vision of “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own Citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena.”
The 3rd Session of the STC-YCS3 is convened by the Department of Social Affairs and Department of Human Resources Science and Technology of the African Union Commission, together with the Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria. The Ministerial Session was preceded by the Senior Officials Meeting from 21 to 24 October and discussed issues pertaining to the development of the youth, culture and sport sectors at national, regional and continental level as well as establishing synergies among the three sectors.
The 3rd Session of the STC-YCS3 adopted its report to be submitted to the Summit of the AU Heads of State and Government in January 2019.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of the African Union Commission.
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