Young people are playing a crucial role in advancing climate action and climate justice. Climate change continues to threaten human existence, economic growth and the livelihoods of vulnerable populations, and experts predict that Africa will be struck more severely than most by the impact. Across the continent, young people are enraged about the lack of action on climate change and are demanding action and taking action. As United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres summed up in his speech at the G-7 Summit in August last year, 2015 to 2019 were the five hottest years on record. At the same time, according…
Raphael Obonyo
Raphael Obonyo
Raphael Obonyo is a public policy analyst. He’s served as a consultant with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). An alumnus of Duke University, he has authored and co-authored numerous books, including Conversations about the Youth in Kenya (2015). He is a TEDx fellow and has won various awards.
Peace and security: youth Young people must be at the centre of all of Africa’s plans and processes to create sustainable peace and development In 2015 the UN Security Council adopted resolution 2250, which recognises the critical, positive role of young people in peace and security. The resolution reinforces the need for their active participation and engagement in peace initiatives and the formulation of inclusive policies towards achieving sustainable peace. Resolution 2250 is the first such resolution fully dedicated to the important role youth play in the promotion of peace and security; it recognises the role of young people in…
How to combat graft Without citizen participation, the fight against corruption is lost Although African governments have established countless institutions and agencies to fight corruption, graft remains rampant across the continent. Transparency International’s (TI) 2013 Corruption Perceptions Index listed Africa as the second most corrupt region on the globe, with South Asia topping the list. According to the TI report, ten out of the 20 most corrupt countries in the world are found in sub-Saharan Africa. Governments are easy to blame for graft, but it is citizens who must take action. They can reject corruption in their everyday lives and…
Kenya: central versus local Two years after this east African nation transferred power to local counties, some governors want to amend the new constitution Billow Hassan stands in the parking lot behind the hospital building in Mandera, the capital of Mandera County in northeastern Kenya. “Ten years ago there was one ambulance in the whole region,” says the 24-year-old community organiser. “When people got sick, they often had to walk miles to a clinic.” Now, he says, pointing to a row of vehicles parked against the fence, “the county has six ambulances, always on stand-by.” Mr Hassan credits the improvement…
