State of African Youth Report 2011

This Status of the African Youth Report 2011 was commissioned in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as one of the key documents to inform African leadership at the 2011 Summit on the status of youth in the continent, and to facilitate debate on plans for subsequent actions for further developing the continent’s youth. As a significant contribution to Africa’s youth development agenda, this edition intends to give a critical analysis of the continent’s actions and inform further discourse at all levels, from policies to strategies, to implement programmes related to youth empowerment and development. The report provides a baseline - an evidence-based account of the status of young people in Africa today. It traces the challenges, presents accomplishments by AU member states, partners and young people themselves, and offers a roadmap on the way forward in supporting the youth development agenda. It also establishes a supplementary benchmark for equity and fairness upon which progress towards the implementation and monitoring of the African Youth Charter can be based.