East African Community adopts plan to create peace, security platform for youth

Arusha, Tanzania | Xinhua | The East African Community (EAC) has adopted a framework for establishing a regional youth peace and security platform aimed at broadening their participation in the region’s security matters, the regional bloc said in a statement on Monday.

The statement issued by the EAC headquarters in Tanzania’s northern city of Arusha said the framework was adopted in a meeting held on Friday by the EAC joint sectoral council on defense, inter-state security and foreign policy coordination.

The council directed the EAC secretariat and member states to develop a peace and security communication strategy to facilitate awareness creation on the existing peace and security structures and coordinated meaningful participation of youth at all levels in implementing the platform.

According to the statement, the council called for the need to develop a mechanism for mapping areas with potential insecurity that require youth intervention.

Peter Mathuki, the EAC secretary general, said the EAC’s goal in the next five years is to consolidate security by focusing on private sector development, which is critical to wealth and job creation.

“Achievement in this realm will reduce the incentive for young people to engage in activities that prejudice security,” said Mathuki.

He added that the engagement of youth in the peace and security sector will strengthen our common resolve to ensure that the young people are productively engaged.

Member states of the EAC are Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.

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Xinhua