“Abidjan Appeal” urges Africa-Europe Heads of State to face up their responsibility towards the youth

Parliamentarians from the Pan-African Parliament and the European Parliament have called on Heads of State and government gathered in Abidjan to reach an ambitious agreement which opens the door to a better future for young people in the 21st century.

This was contained in an appeal (Abidjan Appeal) formulated by the two parties at the end of a two day Parliamentary Summit hosted by the National Assembly of Cote D’Ivoire in Abidjan from 27 to 28 November 2017. The Abidjan Appeal will be presented to the Heads of State when they meet for the 5^th Africa-Europe Summit in the Ivorian Capital (from 29 to 30 November 2017) by H.E Roger Nkodo Dang and H.E Antonio Tijani respectively President of PAP and EP.

According to the Appeal, the agreement must deliver on the pledges made at the United Nations on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, leading to real improvements in peoples’ lives and sustainable use of resources on our shared planet, and must pave the way to the electrification of the African continent, which is the basis for any future development.

The Appeal reminds that the youth of the two Unions is faced, to different degrees, with a lot of challenges, such as unemployment, lack of access to quality education, vocational training and acquisition of skills. “Therefore, youth needs to be empowered with a view to becoming the positive transforming force for the future of our societies, in which it will take its legitimate place.”

Parliamentarians also called on the Heads of State to adopt a pragmatic approach to the issue of migration which affects mostlythe African youth. The Abidjan Appeal states that overcoming root causes of migration requires massive joint investments to create more employment and chances for youth. In this regards, Parliamentarians call upon EU and AU Member states to ensure that any migratory movement is safe, legal and voluntary.

It is recommended that countries that receive migrants should make an effort to integrate them, based on a fair burden sharing, and those that repatriate their citizens require support to complement their efforts to reintegrate them. The EP and the PAP call for joint action of the EU and the AU to address trafficking of human beings and slavery, and the atrocities against migrants in Libya.

Furthermore, the Appeal recognises the need for greater investment in education, up to tertiary level, healthcare and food security, and calls on all State parties to honour their commitments at international Summits, to provide adequate resources towards them in order to create this important basis for sustainable human development. Parliamentarians also drew attention to the issue of Gender equality and empowerment of women.

In his closing statement, H.E President Nkodo Dang made the commitment to ensure that the Appeal is not only submitted, but also given due consideration by Heads of State. “I also urge Parliamentarians to go back to their constituencies and report back on appeal and the work achieved over the last two days as the people we represent need to understand the extent to which we are going in ensuring the improvement of their conditions. This has been a successful forum and we will ensure that the hopes of the peoples from the two unions are conveyed to the decision-makers.” Says Hon. Dang.