2020 International Youth Day: Foundation Urges African Leaders to Create Conducive Environment for Youth

The Goodluck Jonathan Foundation(GJF) on Wednesday called on African leaders to work toward a peaceful and inclusive society so that youths can meaningfully contribute toward the growth and development of the continent.
The call is in a statement by the foundation’s Communications Officer, Mr Wealth Dickson, to mark the International Youth Day (IYD) 2020, with the theme “Youth Engagement for Global Action”.
The UN General Assembly in 1999 endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, Aug. 8- Aug. 12, 1998) that Aug. 12 be declared International Youth Day.
The theme of the 2020 IYD seeks to highlight the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels is enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes, as well as draw lessons on how their representation and engagement in formal institutional politics can be significantly enhanced.
It will also shed light on the need to enable the engagement of youth by making local, national and global institutions more inclusive for the purpose of strengthening youths’ capacity and relevance to achieve global action.
The GEJ communications officer, therefore, stated that “an inclusive and peaceful society is needed for the development of the continent”.
Dickson noted that, the foundation extolled the resilience and patriotism of African youths and commended them for the various roles they have been playing toward addressing the many challenges of the continent, “especially during this time of COVID- 19 pandemic. On  International Youth Day 2020, we celebrate youths across Africa for their resilience,  patriotism, and for the works they do toward
addressing the many challenges in our societies, especially during this time of COVID-19 pandemic. Today, we renew our call for an open society across the nations of Africa. An environment that is peaceful, inclusive, just and tolerant is
what we need to develop. This is the atmosphere needed for youths and many other groups to effectively utilise their talents and skills and contribute meaningfully toward change and sustainable development”.