Assahafa.com
Under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has placed youth at the heart of its development agenda and its commitment to Africa, stated on Monday Nezha Alaoui M’hammdi, the Kingdom’s ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti and chair of the group of Francophone ambassadors in Addis Ababa.
The Kingdom believes that youth is one of the most important strategic resources for building inclusive, resilient, and peaceful societies, the diplomat emphasized, during her speech at the opening of a forum on International Francophonie Day’s theme for 2026, “Peace Generation? Youth Contribution to a More Peaceful World,” held at the African Union headquarters.
In this regard, she noted that at the national level, several public policies have been established to strengthen youth empowerment, particularly through promoting education, vocational training, entrepreneurship, and innovation programs, in addition to reforms aimed at encouraging youth participation in public life and boosting their civic engagement.
This commitment extends far beyond national borders, Alaoui M’hammdi stated, pointing out that since its return to the African Union, Morocco has been strongly committed to strengthening African cooperation, particularly in areas of training, education, youth entrepreneurship, and peacebuilding.
Today, thousands of African students are pursuing their studies at Moroccan universities and training institutes, helping to shape a new generation of African professionals and leaders committed to the continent’s development, she added.
According to her, young people are already actively contributing, in many contexts, to conflict prevention, community mediation, promoting intercultural dialogue, and strengthening social cohesion.
Arguing that simply recognizing the central role of youth is not enough, she urged reinforcing young people’s access to education and economic opportunities, encouraging their participation in spaces for dialogue and mediation, supporting their initiatives in conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and promoting responsible and constructive use of digital tools and social media.
Organized by the International Organization of Francophonie (OIF), in partnership with the AU, and in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this forum invites collective reflection on the contribution of youth to conflict prevention and the peaceful resolution of disputes, strengthening social cohesion, promoting intercultural dialogue, and bolstering multilateralism.
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