BY ROSELILY USHEWOKUNZE
ACTIONAID and the Global Platforms in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania yesterday joined hands to celebrate this year’s International Youth Day through a virtual conference.
International Youth Day is commemorated annually on August 12 and has become an indispensable platform for advancing youth issues on the global arena as well as celebrating the strides that the youths are making in societal transformation.
Global Platforms, Activista country chapters and several other youth movements in east and southern Africa celebrated the day under the global theme: Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health.
This year’s commemoration, that commenced on August 7 and ended yesterday, have been digitilised and livestreamed.
Magamba hosted and broadcast the International Youth Day virtual conference on the Open Parly Facebook page and other online platforms.
There was cross posting of the live broadcast on Global Platform Zimbabwe, ActionAid Zimbabwe, Activista Zimbabwe, Global Platform Tanzania, Global Platform Kenya and Global Platform Uganda Facebook pages.
The celebrations kicked off on August 7 with a virtual debate that ran until yesterday.
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As part of the celebrations, an arts exhibition that featured various displays that included country-related exhibits of poetry, music and visual art, was held on August 10.
The winners of the arts exhibition were announced and unveiled during yesterday’s virtual conference.
Respective ActionAid country directors for country programmes shared actionable knowledge on contextual work on the transformation of food systems.
ActionAid is working with young people as a youthful population in line with youth platforms engaging on ActionAid prioritised areas through the Global Platforms and Activista Network under the youth organising and leadership programme.
The engagements are aimed at influencing young people to come up with concrete initiatives and approaches that are impactful in the transformation of food systems as well as influence country policies towards the realisation of food security.
The need to address food security is imperative in line with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and in addressing Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 12 and 13 which seek to end poverty, hunger, encourage responsible consumption and production as well as climate action.
Climate change is a far-reaching concern that is affecting communities globally.
It is a threat to sustainable development in all countries with its impact being felt more in developing countries.
With harsh climatic conditions prevailing, food security has remained topical with the United Nations estimating that over two billion people were facing food insecurity in 2019.
