Call For Applications:- Youth Transformational Empowerment and Mentorship (Y-TEaM) Programme 2026

In 2020, the African Union commissioned an Independent Expert Report on the Roles and Contributions of Youth to Peace and Security. The report stressed that young people contribute in diverse ways to peace and security in the region, from conflict management and resolution to post-conflict reconstruction and development. The report further recommended that to enhance that role, there is a need for youth groups to ‘’focus on enhancing internal capacities in terms of human resources and expertise, and pursue specialization within the broader peace and security sector’’. The Continental Framework on Youth, Peace and Security equally identified capacity building and technical skills as enabling factors for youth’s effective contribution to peacebuilding efforts. Another gap identified in young people’s capacity development is the lack of continuous and sustainable platforms for skills development. Many capacity-building programmes have
been implemented as a one-off activity and do not give enough opportunities for further learning to capitalize on achievements. Also, there are few opportunities for exposure of the youth, especially fresh graduates, to the peacebuilding environment, which makes it difficult for them to gain practical or hands-on experience from experienced peacebuilding institutions, as part of their grooming process in the field.

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