Acknowledgements
The African Union Commission wishes to express its deep appreciation to all
its partners for their unconditional support, which gave birth to The African Youth
Charter, especially the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) for their
professional and technical commitment and the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) for its financial and technical support.
The Commission equally acknowledges with pride and satisfaction the inputs of
the African Youth, the Youth Experts and African Ministers of Youth who scrutinized
the draft Youth Charter before its adoption by the Executive Council at itsth6 Ordinary
Foreword
The African Union Constitutive Act and the African Union
Commission strategic plan 2004-2007 give due priority to yout
development and empowerment. They underscore the importance of
youth participation and involvement in the development of the
continent. Indeed, Africas renaissance cannot be realized if
adequate investment is not made in the youth who constitute about
40 percent of the African population. To give substance to this
commitment to the development of African youth, the AU has since
developed a policy framework in the form of the African Youth
Charter, which prescribes responsibilities to Member States for the
development of youth. The Summit of Heads of State and
Government adopted this Charter at their Summit in Banjul in July 20
The African Youth Charter does not only provide the Governments,
Youth, Civil Society and International Partners with a continental
framework, which underlines to the rights, duties and freedoms of
youth. It also paves the way for the development of national
programmes and strategic plans for their empowerment.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
PREAMBLE 7
DEFINITIONS 11
Article 2: Non-discrimination 13
Article 9: Property 15
PREAMBLE
GUIDED by the Constitutive Act of the African Union, the States Parties to
the present African Youth Charter;
GUIDED by the vision, hopes and aspirations of the African Union, inclusive
of Africas integration, the inherent dignity and inalienable rights afforded to
all members of the human family as set out in the United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976) and the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976), and
articulated for the African peoples through the African Charter on Human and Peoples
NOTING with concern the situation of African youth, many of whom are
marginalized from mainstream society through inequalities in income, wealth
and power, unemployment and underemployment, infected and affected
by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, living in situations of poverty and hunger,
experiencing illiteracy and poor quality educational systems, restricted
access to health services and to information, exposure to violence
including gender violence, engaging in armed conflicts and experiencing
various forms of discrimination;
CONSIDERING that the promotion and protection of the rights of youth also
implies the performance of duties by youth as by all other actors in society;
DEFINITIONS
Article 2: Non-discrimination
1. Every young person shall be entitled to the enjoyments
of the rights and freedoms recognized and guaranteed
in this Charter irrespective of their race, ethnic group,
colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion,
national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status.
2. Young men and women of full age who enter into marriage
shall do so based on their free consent and shall
enjoy equal rights and responsibilities.
Article 9: Property
1. Every young person shall have the right to own and to
inherit property.
They shall:
2. The present Charter shall come into force thirty (30) days
after the deposit with the Chairperson of the
Commission of the instruments of ratification of fifteen
(15) Member States.
46 AFRICAN YOUTH CHARTER