SANF 24 no 19 by Raymond Ndhlovu
A new partnership to support youth participation in regional integration and development was established this week by two regional organisations, the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC) and the Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF).
SARDC and SAYoF signed an agreement to work together to strengthen youth participation and appreciation of regional processes through knowledge sharing, policy support and capacity building to realize the benefits of belonging to a shared community in Southern Africa.
The partners held a signing ceremony in Harare on 29 July, ahead of 44th Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and ahead of the 6th annual Southern Africa Youth Forum, both taking place in Zimbabwe in August.
The new partnership seeks to strengthen youth participation in the implementation of regional strategic development plans and targets through knowledge-related regional processes, such as socio-economic, industrialisation, science and innovation trend analysis and monitoring based on accurate and reliable regional statistics and data profiles.
The parties will also collaborate on capacity building and raising awareness about regional policies among young people, with special focus on regional policy support for the youth parliamentarians.
This can encompass capacity-building on regional policy implementation at national level, and appreciation of these policies among the youth.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, the SARDC Executive Director, Mr Munetsi Madakufamba applauded the partnership, saying that “youth participation in regional decision-making processes ensures that their needs, concerns and aspirations are reflected in regional development policies and programs, and SAYoF has an important role to play in that regard.”
“SARDC is fully supportive of the idea of engaging with youth networks as this can lead to innovative solutions for regional challenges in Southern Africa,” he added.
He emphasised that this cooperation will promote youth empowerment in the region, and encourage meaningful solidarity in tackling contemporary development challenges.
The SAYoF Regional Coordinator, Mr Misheck Gondo said, “This partnership is a milestone that will allow sharing of best practices and promote understanding of regional policies and processes among the youth.”
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalises their work together in strengthening and deepening the areas of cooperation in the thematic areas of their respective institutes and clusters.
SARDC is an independent regional knowledge resource centre established in 1985 to strengthen regional policy perspectives and track implementation on a range of issues in Southern Africa, and works in partnership at national and regional levels.
SARDC has a long track record of achievements, in partnership with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and others, in work that involves research and knowledge sharing, with a focus on research that informs development policy, as well as capacity-building and training programmes.
This is implemented through specialist units at SARDC — the Regional Economic Development Institute (REDI), the I Musokotwane Environment Resource Centre for Southern Africa (IMERCSA), the Beyond Inequalities gender institute (BI), the Institute for China Africa Studies in Southern Africa (ICASSA), and History Today, as well as specialist support for financial services, administration, ICT and web development, publishing, and a knowledge resource centre. www.sardc.net Knowledge for Development
SARDC has institutional experience in documenting, analysing and communicating trends in regional development, in publishing and distributing the results, and monitoring the impact, as well as an extensive network of partner organisations and contacts, and has language capacity to publish in the official SADC languages of English, Portuguese, and French, as well as KiSwahili.
SAYoF is a pan-African regional development platform for youth in Southern Africa, working with the SADC Parliamentary Forum, SADC Secretariat, SADC-CNGO, and other regional organizations to empower young people and ensure sustainable inclusion. www.sayof.org
SAYoF is the official convener of the Southern Africa Youth Forum and SADC Youth Parliament, the largest youth gathering in Southern Africa to co-create solutions for youth and foster youth development.
SAYoF represents Africa in Civil Society Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (CPDE) Youth Sector; sits in the Global Coalition for Youth, Peace, and Security, a UN-CSOs partnership to advance youth for peace; sits in the Dengue Advisory Group, Africa Focal Point in United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth (UNMGCY).
SAYoF was appointed by the African Union (AU) to the Africa Youth Front on Covid-19, a high-level policy and advocacy framework, and by the AU Youth Envoy for young people to co-lead Africa’s response to Covid-19.
SAYoF is the Secretariat for the African Youth Commission on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the Secretariat for the SADC Rare Disease Coalition, and sits in the Network for Religious and Traditional Peace Makers, Inclusive Based Community of Practice, International Steering Group.
SAYoF co-convenes the Southern Africa Youth Academy with the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF). www.sadcpf.org
The partnership between SARDC and SAYoF recognises that regional cooperation and integration in Southern Africa owes its origins to historical, economic, political, social and cultural factors that have created strong bonds of solidarity and unity among the peoples of the region, contributing to the formation of a distinct Southern African personality and identity that underpins political and economic cooperation. (sardc.net)
