YOUTHS
AS A NECCESSITY FOR A BETTER EAC
There is no doubt that, almost every good and bad field has
developed significantly over the past few decades and it is too visible in behavior
and actions of young people. The EAC Regional governments as well as Private
institutions should try to find solution for this global concern as they remain
one of the victims. Many people believe that, wisely chosen decisions on
youth’s agenda is the best way to control the number of unemployment and crimes,
terrorism, drug abuse, sexual harassments etc in the EAC region. While, some of
them believe that, it is not the only way to improve on the level of Youths
Participation in the region, but the smartest way to enhance youth decision
making.
According to the
report release by African Union, it indicates that 75% of the African
population lies under age of 35 years and out that 75%, 54.2% are being pinch
by high level of illiteracy, poverty, Unemployment, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse,
discrimination and forced engagement in armed conflict like Terrorisms,
rebellions and so on which have becomes are subjects of widespread concern at
the national, regional and international levels. Effective strategies are
needed to resolve these concerns. Young people have a body of experience unique
to their situation, and they have views and ideas that derive from this
experience. They are social actors with skills and capacities to bring about
constructive resolutions to their own problems. Too often, though, there is a
failure or even a refusal to recognize such effort. Much as government policies
have a direct or indirect impact on young people, it is developed and delivered
largely without forecasting the impact on their day-today lives or their
present and future well-being. It is therefore on this ground that the region
should start focusing on young people as an envelope that will foster for a
stronger, committed, and respectful and people centered East African.
However, EALA should consider the
mechanisms and structures through which young people can engage with the East
African Community Youth Council. The first being how proactively councils could
make use of the already existing structures and processes to bring young people
in to decision-making. This will proactively motivate youth take advantage of
existing opportunities to engage with the EAC youths council and finally
identifying the key challenges to greater and more meaningful youth engagement
and makes recommendations base on stakeholders consultation thus improving the
quality and level of youth engagement. Regarding the mechanisms, processes and structures for youth participation in
governance, research finds that there are a number of different levels
and platforms through which young people can theoretically engage with different
youth’s council both directly and indirectly through intermediaries. The extent
to which young people shall take the advantage of these opportunities in
practice will largely depends on the comparative strength and initiative of
EALA and the capacity of young people to engage with them.
Lastly, EALA should know
that Senior Adults do not always act in young people’s best interests instead they
should find space for them. Actions detrimental to the well-being of young
people occur not only through deliberate abuse or neglect but through
disregarding their interest. Adults across the professional spectrum have been
responsible for decisions, policies and actions that have been inappropriate
and sometimes actively harmful to young people. These actions are characterized
by a consistent failure to consult or involve young people themselves. Evidence
is not hard to come by; it is not uncommon to find cases in which young people
are placed in large institutions that give insufficient attention to their
emotional and psychological well-being, There is growing recognition that young
people are more harmed than helped by these practices, which have all been, and
in many instances continue to be, justified by adults, while the views of young
people themselves have gone unheard. If young people are not involved in the
development of the laws, policies and programs that affect them, even
well-intentioned actions on the part of adults will often fail to protect their
best interests.
In conclusion, while there
are many positive signs that young people are increasingly engaging in
decision-making at the EAC level, it is also clear that youth participation is
not uniform and in some areas EAC-youth interaction is very weak. While there
are some encouraging examples of strong, dynamic youth representatives
participating effectively in EAC Youths decision-making, this tends to be the
exception rather than the norm and more often youth engagement is low level and
sometimes tokenistic. Making
meaningful and effective youth participation in governance a reality requires
the combined effort of local and national government, civil society and donors.
As EAC continues on an upward trajectory of social and economic development,
and as democratic principles take root, ensuring young people are given a say
in decision-making should be prioritized as an essential cornerstone of
democratic consolidation, the importance of which, particularly given the
historical context, cannot be exaggerated.
Biography
I am currently the EAC
youth ambassador to Uganda as well as the Regional Innovation Manager to IHAV foundation
Africa to Uganda, a fourth year student at Makerere university pursuing
Bachelor of science in telecommunication Engineering and a patriotic member of
EA community youths ambassadors platform.
