EALA KEEN TO PROMOTE YOUTH ACTIVITIES IN EAC
BY GRACE MACHA IN ARUSHA
The East African Community (EAC) has embarked on a new bid to promote youth participation in its activities.
The regional Assembly, a key organ of the Community, will now recognize its caucus as a platform within its structure to promote youth participation.
That will be in accordance with Articles 6 (d), 7 (1) and (b) and 120( c) of the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC.
A Motion tabled before the House, currently holding a sitting in Nairobi, resolved to recognize full involvement of the youth in the EAC activities.
"Eala Youth Caucus is now recognized as a forum and platform for young members of the Assembly", said Ms Alodie Iradukunda, an Eala MP from Rwanda.
Her Motion intending to recognize the EAC Youth Caucus as a forum for Eala members, was seconded by Mr Machano Ali Machano from Tanzania.
Article 120 (c) of the EAC Treaty commits the partner states to adopt a common approach towards marginalized groups such as the youth.
The youth make up the highest number of the population of the EAC bloc and constitute one of the recognized special interest groups in each of the partner states.
Efforts have been underway to harness their contribution for socio-economic development of the region by promoting and enhancing their participation in regular programmes.
For instance in 2013,the EAC Council of Ministers adopted the EAC Youth Policy which, in accordance with the African Youth Charter defines the youth as persons aged 15 to 35 years.
The policy provides strategies to institutionalize youth-focussed programmes within the EAC development and integration processes.
The EAC Youth Policy also sets benchmarks and guidelines for partner states to mainstream youth issues in national development and governance processes.
Parliamentary caucuses have been formed and used in the National Assemblies of the EAC partner states to strengthen cooperation among special interest groups.
Youth caucuses promote the specialist group's legislative and policy priorities as well as mainstreaming youth mainstreaming in the work and functioning of the Assemblies.
"It is necessary for the Assembly to recognize the Youth Caucus as a forum and platform for young Eala MPs to promote full participation of youth in development programmes", Ms Iradukunda said.
Five years ago, the EAC launched the EA Youth Assembly as another platform to drive regional integration agenda.
Plans are underway to institutionalise the East African Youth Parliament in order to give it a legal status so that it can discharge its mandate effectively.
Eala Speaker Joseph Ntakirutimana said during his address to the Youth Assembly here recently that the EAYP aims to enable the youth transform the EAC to another level.
The youth assembly was formed some five years ago within the framework of the youth development initiatives in the expanding economic bloc.
As regional integration widens and deepens, there is a growing need to bring the youth on board to engage with them on issues pertinent to regional integration.
Charles Kadonya, a senior official of Eala, the legislative organ of the EAC, said the EAC Youth Bill would soon be tabled before the regional Assembly.
The Bill is one of the measures being taken at the regional level to empower the youth as a formidable force for regional development. .
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