Validation Workshop on the Proposed Implementation Framework for the Malabo Decisions on Youth Empowerment and Employment

“Validation Workshop on the Proposed Implementation Framework for the Malabo Decisions on Youth Empowerment and Employment”

1. 
   Introduction
   

The attendance of the African Youth Panel, to the “Validation Workshop on the Proposed Implementation Framework for the Malabo Decisions on Youth Empowerment and Employment” was thanks to the trust already given to the Panel by the leadership of the African Union Youth Division, that the Panel have a role to play in terms of policy influencing and input providing for the development agenda of Africa in which the role of young people is expected and trusted to be crucial.

• 
  Registration and document distribution;
  
• 
  Welcome remarks by Director of HRST;
  
• 
  Statement from UNDP¹ by Resident Representative;
  
• 
  Opening Statement by HRST Commissioner;
  
• 
  Presentation of the overview of the proposed framework by consultant;
  
• 
  Questions for clarification;
  
• 
  Accelerating youth employment creation and TVET² presentation by the Consultant and general discussion;
  
• 
  Presentation by the Consultant on the Pan-African Youth Union, AU-YVC and implementation modalities and general discussion;
  
• 
  Working groups;
  
  • 
    Group 1 – accelerating youth employment creation and TVET;
    
  • 
    Group 2 – strengthening the Pan African Youth Union (PYU);
    
  • 
    Group 3 – strengthening the AU-YVC³;
    
• 
  Implementation challenges, resource mobilization and support programs
  
• 
  Feedback from group work
  
• 
  Responses from consultant
  
• 
  Way forward
  
• 
  Closing word by Director HRST
  

In the current report of attendance, expecting to share the final report of the workshop that will be shared with participants, it will be found a summary regarding the objectives of the workshop, its outcomes, the conclusion and recommendations as well as a briefing on the exchange established between AYP and AUYD for follow up that would lead to the formalization of an institutional relationship between AYP and the Division.

2. 
   Objectives of the Workshop
   

The main objective of the workshop was to review, evaluate and validate, if consensual, the “Implementation Framework of the Malabo Decisions on Youth Empowerment and Employment”, that was produced by a Consultant (Prof. Vremudia P. Diejomaoh - UNDP/AU International Consultant/Youth Programme Adviser) hired by the Youth Division of the African Union Commission, as a guiding strategy for the implementation of the “Malabo Decisions” adopted by Heads of States and Government during the 17^th AU Summit, in 2011.

3. 
   Summary Details of the Workshop
   

The workshop started with an official welcome remarks by the Director of the HRST, Dr Raimonde Agossou as the representative of the Youth Division, lead by a statement from the UNDP Resident Representative, as supporter of the workshop who in complementing statements thanked all who accepted the invitation to the workshop, reminded the Malabo summit, the partnership between UNDP and HRST, their roles regarding the World Plan of Action on Youth and the joint work taken forward in order to provide a framework to assist the Heads of State and Government to work on what was decided in Malabo.

He shared the content of the report that was focusing on 4 major areas on decisions taken in Malabo and he gave a briefing about the overall report which had the following structure:

1. 
   If apart from the workshop there would be another process or what would be decided in the work would be the imposed to AU Member States;
   
2. 
   Will the recommendations be obligatory and how effective they will be;
   
3. 
   There will be a plan of action and what will be the procedures;
   
4. 
   Need of sharing best practices on youth employment and empowerment.
   

Prof. Vremudia P. Diejomaoh giving a feedback to the questions and comments said the following:

1. 
   Regarding the follow up it should be inspired by the intervention regarding sharing best practices;
   
2. 
   Regarding the plan of action, it should be concrete actions that can be taken forward by everyone who has a role to play;
   
3. 
   Each country have to set its own rate of employment;
   
4. 
   Best practices should be emulated;
   
5. 
   The workshop is technical from which we see and contribute to the enrichment of the draft and then taken it to the summit;
   
6. 
   The document will be suggested to be sent to the member states who will see their role.
   

After questions for clarifications the workshop was followed by a presentation on “Accelerating Youth Employment Creation and TVET” and a request of sharing by one of the UNDP members was made bringing the following points of concern to share with the participants of the workshop:

• 
  The need of a proposal for a durable source of fund;
  
• 
  Talk about the heterogeneous youth;
  
• 
  Recommendations to the country level to also review the concern/issue of:
  
  • 
    Job creation Vs underemployment;
    
  • 
    Employment solution Vs Job safeness;
    
  • 
    What contribution is youth doing?;
    
  • 
    Young people with education unemployed;
    
  • 
    Professionalization of youth work;
    
  • 
    Poor have solutions for their own problems;
    
  • 
    On engagement having a challenge of young people being the forefront but experts chasing it;
    
  • 
    Replication of Botswana policy framework for higher alcohol tax;
    
• 
  Sharing a research program from UNESCO on “how to help youth”.
  

The Consultant led the workshop with the presentation of the overall framework proposal that is attached to this report.

• 
  Group 1 – accelerating youth employment creation and TVET;
  
• 
  Group 2 – strengthening the Pan African Youth Union (PYU);
  
• 
  Group 3 – strengthening the AU-YVC;
  

4. 
   Outcomes of the Workshop
   

The main outcomes from the workshop were taken from the feedback from the work groups that mainly were the following:

• 
  Working groups enriched the document;
  
• 
  The need of strengthening the Pan African Youth Panel;
  
• 
  Replicating best practices identified;
  
• 
  There is a mismatch between skills of youth and need of the market – rebranding TVET;
  
• 
  Work around implementable recommendations;
  

A main outcome of the workshop it was a recommendation that for the effectiveness of all that was consensual in the workshop there is a must of a social dialogue so that:

1. 
   All parties can act upon the recommendations;
   
2. 
   Will allow the responsible parties (including youth) to play their role;
   
3. 
   AUYD and AU Commission, after the consensual agreement from the workshop should lead in taking the framework to the Ministerial Committee on Youth;
   
4. 
   Final recommendation made to be known from bottom-up;
   

5. 
   Conclusion and Recommendations
   

Conclusions and recommendations included responses from the consultant and the way forward agreed/endorsed by the majority of participants and they focused on implementable recommendations that should have pillars with a strategy, investment and communication on employment, labor market, TVET, youth voice, capacity building and social dialogue with expected outcome and an action to go through.

1. 
   Have guidelines for the implementation of the Malabo Declaration;
   
2. 
   Be articulated by pillars and a strategy for employment, labor market, TVET, capacity building, youth voice and societal dialogue;
   
3. 
   Take forward a baseline study and assessment to identify the gaps and short, medium and long term priorities;
   
4. 
   Bring limited number of recommendations directed to 5 levels (AUC, REC’s, Member States, Private Sector and Youth);
   
5. 
   Highlight the enablers or implementable recommendations with emphasis to political leadership, technical and institutional enablers and the social dialogue;
   
6. 
   Review the relationship recommendations Versus enablers; and,
   
7. 
   Ensure that there is communication between all parties in which is clear what to be done, how to do it, who to do it and what is necessary to do it.
   

Lastly in as a final recommendation it was stated that for the validation of the report with the proposed framework to go to its next level, it will be shared with the Ministries of Youth of member states.

6. 
   AYP Exchange for follow up
   

The AYP member did a list of points for follow up during his stay in the workshop that included the following:

1. 
   Exchanging with the Youth Division stall regarding the signing of an MOU between the AUYD and AYP;
   
2. 
   Exchange with the Deputy Chair of the Pan African Youth Union for Terms and Conditions for AYP to be considered member of the PAY;
   
3. 
   Sharing the interest of AYP in youth employment and interest to partner for the way forward as stakeholders for mobilization;
   
4. 
   Exchanging and sharing about the regional youth certificate course that is being lead by the Southern African Youth Movement;
   

For all points preliminary communication was established with representatives and managers of respective institution/organization and a proper follow up should be made in a later and due period after the workshop.