Young Women and Girls’ Commitment and Call to Solemn Action African Union Summit, June 2015 Sandton, South Africa

We, the African young women and girls from 10 countries welcome the opportunity to participate in the African Union Summit, June 2015 being held here in Sandton, South Africa. We are pleased, that the African leadership has set the theme “Year of Woman’s Empowerment”, towards realisation of the Agenda 2063. As young women and girls we take responsibility for our future and the achievement of this goal. We ask our families, communities, governments, media and others to also invest in our potential, and ensure that our rights are protected. Young women and girls carry the present and the future of Africa. We come in our diversity as rural and urban girls; married and single; with and without children. We are in school and some of us are out of schools. We are professionals with majority of us unemployed. Many of us live with HIV, while others have died and have been buried due to preventable health causes. We are care givers to ourselves, our siblings and our parents. We are innovators and entrepreneurs, involved on the markets at home and as cross border traders. We are deeply affected by wars, even though many of us are the born free generation. We are African young women and girls with solutions to building the Africa we want, an Africa with no borders, restricted movements and a prosperous Africa which is at peace with itself. We call for Solemn Action on the following key Priority areas: 1. Education and Employment  Ensure safe, affordable and equal access to quality education at all levels from primary, secondary and leading to higher education;  Governments must link with Private sector to help bridge gap between education and employment e.g. apprenticeships, internships, graduate schemes, entrepreneurship training, vocational training;  Provision of State funded bursaries to ensure access to tertiary education. 2. Health, SRHR and HIV  Ensure quality youth friendly health services and infrastructure;  Ensure access to comprehensive sexuality education for young women and girls in and out of school particularly those living with HIV;  Ensure universal and equitable access to effective and voluntary HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.

3. Child, Early and Forced marriage  Eradicate cultural and religious beliefs that encourage child early and forced marriage;  Invest in social security programs for child brides, young women or girls who are former child brides and young mothers;  Provide safe spaces for young people to share information support and learn from each other;  Address legislative gaps that encourage child marriage. 4. Violence against women and girls  Strengthen existing laws and ensure justice for survivors of all forms of violence;  Address Gender norms that perpetuate or normalise violence against women. 5. Women in decision making  Affirmative action to be taken for young women to be on decision making tables especially for issues that affect youths. 6. Political environment and peace  End corruption and impunity and ensure transparency at all levels;  We call for non-violent approach to conflict resolutions in Africa;  We call upon African Member States to seek first home grown remedies for peace. 7. Economic empowerment  Invest in infrastructural support which includes wider, affordable reliable internet coverage, as we seek to use technology especially mobile phones in ways to access information, create jobs and establish our business;  Increased access to financial loans with flexible collateral and repayments conditions.

We applaud that the commitments that have been made thus far; AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality; the Maputo Protocol on Women's Rights in Africa; the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; as well as the Africa Youth Policies. We recognise that the empowerment of young women should be an all-inclusive effort including the public (including men and boys), civil society, religious and community leaders.

We, the African young women and girls commit to remaining active members of GIMAC as we advance the cause of women and girls on the continent, now we ask for solemn action and solemn deliverables from heads of state. We thank the World YWCA and its YWCA members in Africa, and organisations including Plan International, Roots Africa, WREPA, and Rozaria Memorial Trust as well as the many collaborating partners such as UN Women and the African Union and the Governments of Finland and Norway for enabling us to participate at this Summit.

www.worldywca.org A global movement of 25 million women and girls working for justice, peace, health, human dignity, freedom and care for the environment in over 120 countries.