© European External Action Service
Young Africans & Europeans take part in piloting innovative projects
Last updated on Tuesday, 29/09/2020
The AU-EU Youth Cooperation Hub, launched in October 2018, brings together 42 young experts from Africa and Europe. They’re developing and monitoring innovative pilot projects implemented by civil society on both continents.
The AU-EU Youth Cooperation Hub is an innovative and multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together 42 young people of 28 different nationalities. They come from Africa and Europe, or from the diaspora, and are experts in domains as varied as culture, governance, entrepreneurship and climate change. Above all, they’re passionate about international cooperation. Their task? To take part in turning ideas into pilot projects implemented by civil society on both continents.
The AU-EU Youth Cooperation Hub is part of the AU-EU Youth Track. This aims to strengthen the inclusion of young people from Africa, the EU and the diaspora in the Africa-EU partnership and AU-EU cooperation and resulted from the 5th AU-EU Summit in Abidjan in 2017. In this context, the Hub follows the 4th Africa-Europe Youth Summit, which produced the Abidjan Youth Declaration, and the AU-EU Youth Plug-In Initiative
A disruptor
The young people of the Hub met for the first time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in October 2018. Since then, they have met virtually or in person at summits or events like the Paris Peace Forum. In fact, the project was selected as one of 10 best governance initiatives at the very first Forum in November 2018.
‘It’s a completely new and disruptive project, created and implemented by youth for the benefit of youth,’ explains Elena Bonell De Pascual, a young Spanish participant who works as an impact measurement consultant for several companies in Africa and India.
What makes the Hub a first of its kind is that it goes beyond the usual way of involving young people through consultations that are normally limited to providing recommendations and policy input. The Hub actually takes it further and experiments with including young experts actively in all phases of project development – from early shaping, to selection and monitoring.
Win-win
The Hub’s young experts have been tasked with prototyping innovative and very practical projects together with the implementing civil society organisations, selected through a call for proposals. They are divided into six clusters: ‘Culture, Arts & Sports’; ‘Education and Skills’; ‘Environment and Climate Change’; ‘Business, Job Creation and Entrepreneurship’; ‘Governance and Political Inclusion’; and ‘Peace and Security’. A seventh cluster – ‘Digital’ – is cross-sectional and provides technical support to the other six. It has just been set up and the Hub is currently recruiting new members to join it – so apply before 6 March – 19h00 (CET)!
The projects, for a total of EUR 10 million, will be piloted on a small scale but with a focus on maximum impact, visibility and proven results. In addition to bringing Africa and the EU closer together, they must have real potential for scaling up and being replicated.
‘It’s an experience that benefits both Europeans and Africans,’ says participant Komi Elon Claude Sodokin, a young Togolese environmental expert and member of the African diaspora in Spain, concluding that the Hub is a real win-win.