This year, the international community is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), under the aegis of the United Nations and UNFPA. Among the events planned for this purpose, the Global Youth Dialogue which is being held in Cotonou, Benin from April 1 to 5, 2024. Yesterday, Tuesday April 2, 2024, the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Development responsible for coordinating the government action, Alastaire Alinsato, in a press briefing, mentioned the reasons which militate in favor of Benin for holding this Global Youth Dialogue. He was accompanied by Richmond Tiemoko, UNFPA Resident Representative in Benin.
Several reasons underlie the choice of Benin to host the Global Youth Dialogue on April 4 and 5, 2024. According to Alastaire Alinsato, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Development responsible for coordinating government action, Benin was deemed legitimate to host this important event for reasons linked to the significant progress recorded in population policy, in particular over recent years. In the field of health, for example, the Government’s efforts are remarkable in passing laws aimed at enforcing and protecting the sexual and reproductive health rights of all people (law no. 2021- 12 amending and supplementing Law No. 2003-04 of March 3, 2003 relating to sexual health and reproduction; Law No. 2021-11 of December 20, 2021 laying down special provisions for the repression of violence based on the sex of persons and protection of women), the implementation of national multisectoral strategies and projects and programs for the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people, including the introduction of sexual health education (ESS) from 2018 in the curricula of general and technical education and higher education.
In the education sector, particularly for girls, the Government has, as part of the implementation of the national action plan for the promotion of schooling and keeping girls in school, among other things: adopted a law on child protection which aims to guarantee the admission or readmission to school of young pregnant girls, established free schooling for girls at the primary and lower secondary level with an ongoing experimental phase of free education for girls in upper secondary education, the establishment of school canteens which reinforce the school policy for all and the strategy for keeping children, including girls, in school ‘school. The implementation of the program to support the education and training of children excluded from the education system (PAEFE) and the project to support secondary education in Benin (PAESB) are all initiatives that aim to improve the education system in Benin.
In the area of Protection of Young Girls, the Government adopted, among other things, the children’s code aimed at guaranteeing the rights to health, nutrition and education of all children, including those living with disabilities ; Law No. 2021-11 of December 20, 2021 establishing special provisions for the repression of offenses committed due to the sex of persons and the protection of women; Law No. 2021-13 of December 20, 2021 revising the Personal and Family Code which abolished certain discriminatory practices such as the marriage of girls before the age of 18 and Decree No. 2021-391 of July 21, 2021 relating to the creation and approval of the statutes of the National Institute for Women (INF) whose mission is the promotion of women at the political, economic, social, legal and cultural levels both in the public and private sphere, and to fight once morest all forms of discrimination and violence once morest women.
In addition, underlines DC Alastaire Alinsato, the Government is implementing other initiatives including the multi-sectoral program aimed at putting an end to child marriages and the food assistance program in the form of cash transfers and vouchers.
With regard to Employability, the Government has, among other things, implemented a project to strengthen the empowerment of women and girls, and to expand access to reliable and sustainable energy, the promotion project employability, innovation and youth entrepreneurship. The creation of the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) is an opportunity for professional training and employment for young people.
Youth, a very important target for development issues
Thanking Benin for agreeing to host this major global youth dialogue, the resident representative of Unfpa in Benin, Richmond Tiemoko, suggested that this is not a trivial choice because Benin is a country which has made major advances on the ICPD sustainable development agenda. “The United Nations Population Fund, with the support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Denmark have decided to approach Benin taking into account the progress made by Benin and taking into account the importance of the question of young people not only in Benin but also on the African continent to host this conference.
The Youth Dialogue which begins this week will bring to Beninese soil a diversity of young people from around the world. We are expecting around 300 young people at least, plus young people from Benin. Why a youth dialogue? Youth constitutes a very important target in the question of development. In 1994 on the African continent, when the world came together to adopt the program of action, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), it was regarding strengthening not only rights but strengthening participation of youth.
So today, it is important to bring together these young people on the continent in Benin and give an opportunity to all these young people, whether they are girls, boys, people with disabilities, people from different backgrounds to be able to find each other here and discuss a new vision of the ICPD,” suggested Richmond Tiemoko. He hopes that exchanges between young people will result in a renewed commitment to implement the international development program but also an important memory of their stay on Beninese soil.
B.H
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