The Fifth African Development Forum (ADF-V)

MEDIA ADVISORY No.1

The fifth African Development Forum will take place at ECA headquarters in Addis Ababa from 16-18 November 2006 under the theme "Youth and Leadership in the 21 st Century".

ADF is a multi-stakeholder platform for debating, discussing and initiating concrete strategies for Africa's development. The decision to devote the fifth ADF to youth emanates from the acknowledgement that political stability, social solidification and economic prosperity in Africa lie in harnessing the capacities of its young people.

About 60 percent of the continent's population constitutes young people. And a huge proportion of Africa's workforce force is under 25. So the critical importance of young people for the future development of the continent cannot be underestimated. Yet, the term "youth" gives rise to confusion and conflicting images. Some view young people as a "threat" to the established order. Young women and girls in particular are abused, marginalized or ignored.

Across Africa, young people are faced with very similar dilemmas - the HIV/AIDS scourge, access to quality education, unemployment, exclusion, conflict and post-conflict issues.

ADF-V aims to raise the profile of young people as drivers of development. It will provide a platform for Africa's youngsters to give voice to their own concerns, visions and perspectives. It will help develop strategies at regional and national level that recognize youth potential in pushing forward goals such as good governance and gender equality. It is hoped, therefore, that as well as providing a mechanism for articulating youth concerns, ADF-V will also come up with a consensus on finding solutions.

This year, the Forum is jointly organized by ECA and the African Union, in partnership with UNDP, UNICEF, ILO, UNFPA, the African Development Bank and the Organisation Internationale de la francophonie.