Taking note of the achievements realized since the first SADC Youth Forum in Tanzania, 2nd SADC Youth Forum in Mozambique and the 3rd SADC Youth Forum in Malawi and the 4th SADC Youth Forum in South Africa, we continue to place young people at the center of regional and national development.
Realizing that participation of young people as stakeholders and change makers as highlighted in the Youth Development Model remain a corner stone for effective development and youth empowerment. The past four years has seen the Forum reaching more than 1,000 000 young people in the 16 SADC Member States virtually and in-person for a common cause, creating a strong voice and representation for the SADC Youth.
Noting that SAYoF’s work has been honored by several regional and international institutions on its capacity to push the youth development agenda. These include the selection of SAYoF by Africans Rising as one of the top ten Africa Youth Movements for 2020, appointment to sit in the Dengue Advisory Group, an international body focused on Neglected Tropical Diseases, SAYoF sits in the Global Coalition for Youth, Peace, and Security; UN-CSO partnership to advance youth for peace, SAYoF sits in the Steering Committee for Network for Religious and Traditional Peace Makers, SAYoF won Youth Engagement Award under International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD) United Kingdom (2022), SAYoF won Youth Organization of the year Award (Think Big Experts) 2022 and recently selected to host the first Regional Conference of Youth (RCOY 28) event in the Southern Africa before the COP 28.
The 5th SADC Youth Forum will run under the theme, “Accelerating Regional Integration and Youth Participation in AfCFTA”. The theme has been influenced by the Aspirations of the Regional Indicative Strategic Plan (RISDP) for SADC and the African Union theme of this year which is “Acceleration of AfCFTA Implementation” and the call by AfCFTA secretariat call for effective youth participation in AfCFTA. Effective participation of young people in AfCFTA implementation remains an important element for its success, hence, this year’s forum seeks to accentuate the important role of youth in regional economic integration in Africa.
The 5th SADC Youth Forum will be a hybrid event, to allow broader participation of young people, targeting about 80 to 100 participants in person and 5000 others joining on SAYoF and partners’ online live platforms. The Forum is expected to have a total online reach of about 1,500 000 through live virtual hubs across the region and various social media platforms.
The 5 th SADC Youth Forum will be graced by youth representatives from 16 SADC countries and communities, key stakeholders: Government representatives, SADC Secretariat, SADC-PF, African Union, AU Youth Division, Representatives of National Youth Councils, Youth Organizations, Students, Youth from marginalized communities, the Media, Religious groups, international and regional institutions.
