About YELO
YELO is the Network of UCLG Africa, dedicated to elected officials under the age of thirty-five (35) years. It is set up to defend the interests and carry the voice of youth, especially the elected officials from local and territorial governments of the continent.
Known as key agents of change and leaders of the new generation, young local and regional elected representatives have the capacity to act and mobilize other stakeholders around the challenges of sustainable development and governance at local level. Supporting the setting up of a youth Network within UCLG Africa is in line with the organisation’s vision of “Building African Unity and Driving African Development through the Grassroots“.
The Network is composed of young local and regional elected representatives from the five regions of Africa: Central, East, North, Southern, and West. This Network is multicultural and promotes the inclusion of young people in politics, their participation in the development and production of local public policies, particularly in the field of employment, education, training and culture, among others.
Goal
The goal of YELO is to organize the collective voice of Young Elected Local Officials of Africa at the national, regional and continental level pertaining to the consideration of the concerns and initiatives of the youth in the definition and implementation of local policies and strategies, as well as in the planning and management of African cities and territories.
YELO also cares about empowering its members with the required skills to deliver better services and improve their performance and effectiveness through training, peer reviews, peer learning and benchmarking.
Mission
The mission of the YELO Network is to empower its members with the capabilities and skills to participate, through debates, proposals and exchanges of ideas and experiences, in the discussions conducted within UCLG Africa on issues relating to territorial governance, particularly the promotion of youth, and account taking of their priorities in the definition and implementation of the policies and strategies of African cities and territories.
Objectives
To fulfill this mission, the objectives pursued by the Young Local Elected Officials of Africa Network are to:
- Organize the common voice and representation of young local elected officials of subnational and local governments of Africa within UCLG Africa at the national, regional and continental levels;
- Disseminate best practices on youth participation and inclusion in the management of public affairs in Africa and in the governing bodies of cities and territories;
- Promote the exchange of experiences amongst members of the Network;
- Improve and strengthen the management capacities of the Network’s members;
- Develop and maintain cooperation and partnership relations with other youth networks in Africa and other regions of the world;
- Prepare the next generation of UCLG Africa’s political leadership.