PREAMBLE
We the Young People of Southern Africa, and stakeholders; affirm our commitment to the development, empowerment, and inclusion of young people in our great region. We came together for the 6th Southern Africa Youth Forum hosted from the 10th to the 13th of August 2024 in Harare, Zimbabwe. Appreciating the 300 young people and partners who attended the forum from all the 16 SADC Member States, namely: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Guided by the developmental spirit of Pan-Africanism, Ubuntu, Regional Integration, Respect for People’s Dignity, Sustainable Youth Inclusion, and Access to Education for all Children and Young People in the region. Inspired by African sovereignty, territorial integrity, the gains of the liberation struggle, aspirations of democratic societies, respect of fundamental rights, cultural integrity, peaceful co-existence, and self-determination.
We recognize that the youth of Southern Africa represent an immense reservoir of energy, creativity, and potential that is critical to the continued progress and prosperity of our communities. As present leaders and change-makers of our region, we have a vital role to play in addressing the complex social, political, economic, and environmental challenges that we face. We have a role to complement our governments, the private sector, and all developmental actors to ensure access to quality and affordable education for the SADC child.
United in our diversity, we stand firm in our determination to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for the young people of Southern Africa. Through this Harare Youth Declaration, we outline our collective vision and call upon our governments, regional and international organizations, civil society organizations, private sector, development partners, religious and traditional actors to work together with us in realizing these shared aspirations.
We take note of the 6th Southern Africa Youth Forum theme for 2024, “Empowering the Future: Innovative Education for Sustainable Development in Southern Africa” which is informed by the Africa Union Year of Education theme, “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.”
We Acknowledge the invaluable partnership and collaboration by our 6th Southern Africa Youth Forum Partners, namely: the African Union (AU), European Union, SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF), SADC, SAf_CNGO, Zimbabwe Youth Council (ZYC), International Organisation for Migration (UN-Migration), SAVE the Children International, Wits Business School, Afrocentric Locale, International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD), Youth For Tax Justice Network (YTJN), Global Platform Zimbabwe, Action Aid International, YETT, NAYO, Kuyenda Collective, Open Space ZW, Gender Links, ALMA, WAYDE, European Partnership for Democracy, European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA), AMREF, Y ACT, Global Campaign for Education, Elbarlament.org, People in Need, SANN, Young Africa Zimbabwe, Stop the Bleeding Campaign, Equality Now, Parliamentary Youth Caucus (Zimbabwe), and SARDC. We further acknowledge the support by our pan-African leaders for their participation and support to the youth sector namely: The Patron of Youth in Southern Africa Her Excellency Boemo Ndu Sekgoma (SADC-PF Secretary General), Ms. Prudence Ngwenya the African Union Commission Director for Women, Gender and Youth, the Mayor of Harare His Worship Jacob Mafume, and the Chief Mentor Mr. Sheuneni Kurasha, United Republic of Tanzania Legislator and youth mentor Hon. Neema Lugangira among other.
Our deliberations at this 6th Youth Forum have been guided by the principles of building a united Africa and shared principles outlined by the Youth Development Model (YDM) which recognize sustainable youth participation, intergenerational collaboration, and a commitment to upholding the human rights and dignity of all. The Youth Development Model‘s four Lens Approach recognizes youth as Stakeholders, Innovators, Leaders for Transformation and Change Makers. The YDM encompasses the 8Ps: Participation, Primacy (of Youth), Partnerships, Priorities, Possibilities, Policy, Peace, and Pan-Africanism. We reiterate that young people are pivotal in driving inclusive and sustainable development, leading us towards a prosperous Southern Africa.
We take note that the 6th Southern Africa Youth Forum was integrated with practical learning such as Entrepreneurship Master Classes, visiting a Vocational Training center at Young Africa, Exhibitions by various organizations across SADC, Africa, and International Organisations, and above all visiting the Museum of the African Liberation to appreciate Africa‘s history, diverse liberation history, heritage, culture, and richness.
We are inspired by the progress made in previous forums, from the first (1st to the 5th Forum hosted in the following countries: Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, and Botswana respectively, and we are eager to build upon these achievements to drive positive change in Southern Africa.
With unwavering resolve, we present this 6th Southern Africa Youth Forum, Harare Declaration as a testament to our collective voice, commitment, and roadmap for the actions we will take to secure a brighter today and tomorrow for ourselves and future generations.
The 6TH Southern Africa Youth Forum HARARE DECLARATION (SAYoF)
