The Fifth African Development Forum (ADF-V)
Youth and Leadership in the 21 st Century

Closing remarks by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA

18 November 2006
United Nations Conference Centre
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Your Excellencies,

We have come to the end of a long, demanding, tasking and above all very productive three days. This ADF at which we have centre-staged youth and youth issues is testimony to our recognition that youth issues are among the most pressing problems of our region in early 21 st century. We have dispassionately discussed, fervently argued, and soberly reflected on these issues and have come to agreement on what we, youth and old, need to do to faithfully confront and overcome these problems and to build an all-inclusive African economic and political space.

This ADF has reminded us if we needed any reminding that African youth are alive, active, and engaged with the challenges of our continent. This is largely due to, I believe, recent improvements in governance - as I mentioned in my Opening Remarks - across our continent. The return to democracy of many of our countries after years of military dictatorships and brutal conflicts that frightened citizens into cocoons of self-preservation is creating space for all - young and old - to unleash their creativity. You the Youth were the primary drivers of this change and its main beneficiaries. Many of you are now actively participating in the political affairs of your countries through the youth wings of the new political parties. Through this participation, you are being readied to assume leadership. I urge you to secure these improvements to ensure that there is no return to the bad old days.

I was very encouraged by the interventions of young people at this ADF and the expressed willingness of the representatives of our governments and regional bodies such as the African Union Commission (AUC), whose Youth Charter was launched at this ADF, to devote more resources to youth development and to expand the space for youth engagement with and participation in all spheres of society. The AUC Charter, which was developed with the active contribution and participation of youth from across this continent, provides a framework for all of our countries, working together to confront and overcome the challenges to youth involvement in governance. I urge all of us, young and old, to advocate for the speedy ratification of the Charter in all AU member States.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We had one major objective at this ADF - to propose, based on a reasoned discussion and debate of the issues, an actionable agenda to advance the cause and life-chances of youth in Africa. I think we have largely succeeded in this goal - the Consensus document - the capstone document of this ADF - that you have adopted. I applaud all of you for this document - which is in a way - an enabling document to the African Youth Charter.

There are some bold and innovative proposals in the Consensus Document such as the launching of an African Youth Volunteer Corps to address manpower and skills gaps in African countries - especially in countries emerging from conflict; an African Youth Exchange Programme to promote a common African identity and citizenship; programmes to mainstream youth in national development, peace-building and conflict resolution, and employment. I am further encouraged that the Document also called for programs to promote and support youth economic empowerment, especially entrepreneurship notably in the ICT sector. I believe that all of us, youth, adults, governments, the private sector and our development partners, working together, can make the goals become actualities earlier than 2010, the target date that you have set.

African Youth! You are the bequest of our continent to the future. You are, as Secretary General Kofi Annan said, essential to our continent achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). You have through your eloquent speeches, very mature and thoughtful contributions to the debates in the breakout sessions, and through your behaviour and conduct here, shown that you are the best bequest that our continent can make to the future of humanity.

Your governments, regional institutions, and development partners are, I believe, ready and willing to support your efforts and to forge a new partnership with you that would advance the goals and objectives clearly and so eloquently expressed in the Consensus Statement. The Ministers who spoke here said so. But that partnership, as Prime Minister Meles underscored in his opening address to this Forum, must be based on your acceptance of responsibility to lead, not on claims of victimhood and/or agitations for special entitlements.

The United Nations system will continue to be your active companion in your efforts to play a more active and positive role in your societies. Their efforts in ensuring the success of this ADF testify to their commitment to you. And I pledge this to you: ECA will remain your ever present ally, as I am sure would our other leading Pan African institutions, the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank (ADB). The ADF-V partners have assured me that this is not their last engagement with you. You will see them in many other arenas, supporting you and through advocacy, amplifying your voice.

In closing, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Government and people of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for their support and to the Prime Minister for his very inspiring and challenging address. The Ethiopian Ministry of Youth did a wonderful job preparing Ethiopian youth to welcome other African youth to Addis Ababa. I thank the Ministry for its support of ADF V and through it, Ethiopian Youth for the warmth and friendship that they extended to their peers from other parts of the continent.

I would also like to thank Secretary General Kofi Annan, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Prof Alpha Oumar Konare, and the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Donald Kaberuka for their presence. Dr. Kaberuka has been here for all three days of this ADF - evidence of his commitment to the advancement of African youth.

I thank all the UN agencies, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Organization Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) that worked so encouragingly together to ensure the success of this ADF. I would in this regard, like to especially recognize UNESCO whose logo was inadvertently not printed on the bags and on the documents that you have. UNESCO was one of the prime movers of this ADF. May we please rise and applaud UNESCO.

My gratitude also goes to ECA staff and staff of the African Union who spent countless hours putting this ADF together. I thank all the partners, members of the ADF Steering Committee and of the Internal Coordination Committee (ICC) at ECA.

But my greatest gratitude is to you, the Youth of Africa, for making all this possible. Without you, there surely would have been no ADF V. You took active possession of this ADF and in doing so made it an overwhelming success. I have enjoyed reading your newspaper and will sorely miss it. We have been enriched by your presence and your ideas, persuaded by your passion for your continent, and convinced of your commitment. I am sure that many of you have made new friends here and/or rekindled old friendships. I urge you all to constantly stoke and nurture these friendships - there is nothing that is as strong and as reliable as friendships cultivated in youth - to use it to build coalitions for positive change in the countries from whence you came and across the continent.

I wish you all God's guidance and safe journey as you travel back to whence you have come.

Thank you.