🙏 We are approaching the final moments of the 5th Continental Dialogue on Youth, Peace and Security & Women, Peace and Security in #Bujumbura2026. 💡 After three days of dialogue, youth voices, policy discussions, and recommendations, participants are now gathering for the Closing Ceremony Coming up today: 📄 Reading of the Final Communiqué, bringing together the key priorities emerging from the Dialogue 💬 Final reflections from youth and partner representatives 📃 Official closing remarks by H.E. Evariste Ndayishimiye @GeneralNeva, President of the Republic of Burundi, Chairperson of the AU and AU Champion for Youth, Peace and Security 🔥 On International Youth Day, this closing carries an important message: the value of these three days will be measured by what happens next — how youth perspectives are carried into policy, implementation, and accountability. We are following the final moments of the Dialogue live from Bujumbura 🇧🇮 @aueuyouthlab #AUEUYouthLab #AUEUYouthVoicesLab #PoweroftheCollective #AUEU #EngageEmpowerConnect #EuropeAid #Bujumbura2026 #YPS #WPS #TheCharterWeWant #AYCat20 – at Burundi

🌍 Today is International Youth Day, and in Bujumbura, young people are not just being celebrated. They are helping shape what comes next. 💡 From peace and security to governance, policy, and opportunity, the message of these three days is clear: youth empowerment means giving young people the space, trust, and influence to turn their ideas into decisions and action. 🧩 From participation to power. From voice to influence. 🔥 Happy #InternationalYouthDay2026! @aueuyouthlab #AUEUYouthLab #AUEUYouthVoicesLab #PoweroftheCollective #AUEU #EngageEmpowerConnect #EuropeAid #Bujumbura2026 #YPS #WPS #TheCharterWeWant #AYCat20 – at Burundi

👥 After a day full of meaningful conversations all over the 4 parallel sessions, the working-group discussions are now coming back into plenary, with proposed recommendations feeding into the African Youth Charter @ 20 Appraisal and the Africa Governance Report 2027 – From Promise to Prosperity. Five priority areas emerged 👇 1. Youth, Governance & Democratic Transformation 🗳️ Stronger youth representation in political processes, non-tokenistic participation, independent National Youth Councils, and reconsideration of age barriers and quotas for political representation. 2. Peace, Security & Youth Agency 🕊️ Clearer national responsibility for the #YPS agenda, stronger support for context-specific National Action Plans, greater inclusion of young people with disabilities, and more accessible participation across African languages. 3. Economic Justice, Development & Employment 💼 More investment in green-economy opportunities, improved access to finance in the digital economy, and stronger continental economic integration. 4. Pan-Africanism, Identity & Youth Mobilization 🌍 Greater value for African cultures and identities, including within education, alongside stronger South-South collaboration and engagement with the diaspora. 5. Policy & Institutional Responsiveness 🏛️ Institutionalized capacity building, stronger coordination between Member States and the AU, measurable results, and sustainable models for youth empowerment. @aueuyouthlab #AUEUYouthLab #AUEUYouthVoicesLab #PoweroftheCollective #AUEU #EngageEmpowerConnect #EuropeAid #Bujumbura2026 #YPS #WPS #TheCharterWeWant #AYCat20 – at Burundi

👉 Why does this conversation still matter 20 years after the African Youth Charter was adopted? For Mr. Pempho Chabvuta, Partnerships and Youth Engagement Officer in the Youth Division of the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, the #AYCat20 process is not about starting again. ⚙️ It is about ensuring that a Charter adopted two decades ago continues to reflect the realities, priorities and challenges facing African youth today. 💬 “Because Africa has changed, our conversations really need to change, and that is what the African Youth Charter @ 20 campaign is all about.” 🧩 He also connected the different conversations happening across Bujumbura: whether the topic is governance, peace, security, democracy or development, young people are at the center. And the ask is increasingly clear: not simply a seat at the table, but meaningful and inclusive representation in the decisions that shape their lives. @aueuyouthlab #AUEUYouthLab #AUEUYouthVoicesLab #PoweroftheCollective #AUEU #EngageEmpowerConnect #EuropeAid #Bujumbura2026 #YPS #WPS #TheCharterWeWant #AYCat20 – at Burundi

📜 As the African Youth Charter @ 20 discussion continues in Bujumbura, the focus is also turning to the partnerships needed to advance youth participation. 🇪🇺 H.E. Javier Niño Pérez, Ambassador of the European Union to the African Union @EUtoAU, emphasized the importance of cooperation and collaboration in creating meaningful space for young people and supporting the positive role they already play across the continent. 🤝 His message was clear: the European Union and African Union need to continue working together to promote respect, dialogue and cooperation as foundations for advancing peace. 💪 For the African Youth Charter @ 20 process, this matters: stronger youth participation also depends on institutions and partners working together to create the conditions for young people to contribute meaningfully and influence what comes next. @aueuyouthlab #AUEUYouthLab #AUEUYouthVoicesLab #PoweroftheCollective #AUEU #EngageEmpowerConnect #EuropeAid #Bujumbura2026 #YPS #WPS #TheCharterWeWant – at Burundi

💡 The "African Youth Charter at 20: From Promise to Prosperity" session is now underway, opening a critical reflection on whether two decades of commitments have translated into meaningful change in young people’s lives. Mr. @ArdentElonga, nominated representative of the African Youth Charter at 20 project, is setting the tone with a clear call to move from policies to action, and from promises to prosperity, while highlighting how ongoing conflicts across the continent continue to disproportionately affect young people. 💬 “Twenty years ago, the Charter made a promise to young people. Today, we must take an honest look at what has been achieved, understand where things have fallen short, and identify what needs to change.” 💼 The important challenge in the room: do the commitments made in the African Youth Charter reflect young people’s everyday realities? @aueuyouthlab #AUEUYouthLab #AUEUYouthVoicesLab #PoweroftheCollective #AUEU #EngageEmpowerConnect #EuropeAid #Bujumbura2026 #YPS #WPS #TheCharterWeWant #AYCat20 – at Moschato, Greece

📍 We are now inside the “African Youth Charter at 20: From Promise to Prosperity” side event, one of today’s key parallel sessions in Bujumbura. 🤝 Organized by the African Peer Review Mechanism @APRMorg and the @PanAfricanYouth, with the participation and support of partner organizations including @RestlessDev, @OneYoungAfrica / @MSTCDC, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung @KASonline, Conciliation Resources @CRbuildpeace, @AbdouSambFounda, the African Union Youth Division @AUYouthProgram, and our programme @aueuyouthvoices, the session is creating space to reflect on what 20 years of the African Youth Charter have delivered, and what still needs to change. 🌍 The discussions are looking at youth participation across governance, peace and security, employment, Pan-Africanism, and institutional responsiveness, while feeding into both the African Youth Charter @ 20 appraisal and the Africa Governance Report 2027. 🎯 The key question guiding the room today: how do we move from commitments on paper to policies, institutions and systems that young people can actually influence? @aueuyouthlab #AUEUYouthLab #AUEUYouthVoicesLab #PoweroftheCollective #AUEU #EngageEmpowerConnect #EuropeAid #Bujumbura2026 #YPS #WPS #TheCharterWeWant #AYCat20 – at Burundi