Dakar, 10 November 2022. The African Union (AU), the Government of Senegal and the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), with the support of UNFPA, organized the Youth Consultation in preparation of the 2nd Conference on Positive Masculinity to be organized in Dakar on November 10 under the theme: "Advancing Actions and Promotion of Positive Masculinity to End Violence against Women and Girls". In this context, a delegation of young people from the NGO ADALBE-MOTIVA, led by its Director, Mrs. Anita Hichaicoto Topapori, participated in the event from November 8 to 10 to represent Equatorial Guinea with the support of the UNFPA Equatorial Guinea Country Office.
The Youth Consultation took place on November 8 at the esplanade of the Museum of Black Civilizations in Dakar with the participation of young people from the African Union. The Youth Consultation came up with key recommendations to address the challenges of implementation and leverage success stories that will be presented to the Heads of State and Government during the Conference of Heads of State of November 10, 2022.
The objectives of the Heads of State Conference on November 10 are to review the progress made since 2021, identify gaps in the implementation of the Kinshasa Declaration, reflect on new ideas emerging on current trends, discuss possible ways to address these challenges and how young people can play a key role in this regard.
This Conference is a continuation of the 1st which was organized on November 25, 2021 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls. The Kinshasa Declaration and Call to Action on Positive Masculinity was subsequently adopted as a decision of the AU Assembly at the AU Heads of State Summit in February 2022. The Declaration and Call to Action, among other things, urges AU Heads of State to report annually on measures taken and progress made to end violence against women and girls in Africa.
The Youth Consultation hosted youth from the 55 countries of the African Union and took the form of thematic brainstorming sessions chaired by the Senegalese Ministry of Women, Family, Gender and Child Protection, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, the Ministry of Employment and Entrepreneurship, and the agencies of the United Nations system in Senegal.
