Recommendations to Leaders and AU-EU Institutions
Preamble
We, representatives of over 200 youth and civil society organisations from across Africa and Europe, convened from 20–21 November 2025 in Luanda, Angola, on the margins of the 7th AU–EU Heads of State and Government Summit to deliberate on the pillars of the Africa–Europe partnership: Peace, Security and Governance; Prosperity; People; and Multilateralism. Recognising the important role of civil society and youth and adopting a people-centred and human-rights based approach to development, we reaffirm the critical contribution of youth and civil society in guaranteeing peace and prosperity on our continents and globally. We stress the urgent need for action at the local level to promote inclusive social and economic development; foster multi-stakeholder, community-driven solutions; strengthen a fair and effective multilateral system; ensure peaceful and secure environments for civilians; and protect both people and the planet by institutionalising AU–EU civil society collaboration. In light of these aforementioned areas, we call on AU and EU leaders and institutions to take decisive action as follows:
Peace, security and governance
We call on the Leaders and AU-EU Institutions to:
Invest in the development and implementation of National Action Plans on peace and security, ensuring compliance with international and continental standards promoting good governance, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and political stability.
Prioritise capacity-building for youth wings and emerging political leaders by introducing youth quotas, gender-parity targets, and long-term civic and political education campaigns co-designed with youth and civil society organisations.
Strengthen dialogue-centred and community-based conflict prevention and resolution initiatives, including indigenous and traditional approaches such as restorative justice, to advance a culture of peace and tolerance.
Address the root causes and drivers of conflict by investing in youth education, skills development, and economic empowerment.
Reinforce the existing Prevention and Response Framework for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV), with a particular focus on protecting women and girls.
Guarantee dedicated multi-year funding channels with simplified access for grassroots organisations, supported by joint AU–EU monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
Integrate digital peace, cybersecurity, and responsible technology strategies into governance and peacebuilding efforts, including strengthened digital literacy for youth and women, countering misinformation, and promoting ethical use of artificial intelligence.
People
We call on the Leaders and AU-EU Institutions to:
Streamline visa processes and introduce an AU–EU mobility window to simplify youth mobility.
Strengthen digital accountability and reinforce multilateral legal frameworks by enhancing research on trafficking and online exploitation, while ensuring accountability of social media platforms.
Reduce remittance costs and promote diaspora investment mechanisms, including youth empowerment funds.
Prioritise human development by increasing public investment in health, education, and social protection, while promoting public–private partnerships.
Invest in inclusive, quality education at all levels by strengthening financial commitments, establishing a mutual qualification and skills-recognition framework, and promoting the use and preservation of indigenous knowledge.
Strengthen civil society and community engagement with institutions through flexible and accessible funding mechanisms.
Prioritise community-driven climate change adaptation and sustainable natural resource governance.
Prosperity
We call on the Leaders and AU-EU Institutions to:
Reform global and domestic financing systems to unlock affordable and accessible financing for Africa, including support for reforming the international financial architecture.
Scale up sustainable and inclusive development and climate finance, expanding concessional and debt-free financing for adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and social protection.
Advance food sovereignty through agroecology that supports small-scale producers, territorial markets, and farmer-managed seed systems.
Promote a just, inclusive, and skills-driven green transition by investing in community-led initiatives that protect rights, support local SMEs, and create meaningful employment.
Expand inclusive digital connectivity, financial access, and digital literacy through AU–EU collaborative initiatives.
Modernise and integrate regional transport infrastructure to improve affordable and efficient mobility across Africa, prioritising the development and rehabilitation of inter-African multimodal transport networks.
Strengthen AU–EU partnerships in green industrial value chains through accelerated implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and simplify cross-border trade while ensuring value creation for local communities.
Ensure that Global Gateway investments deliver tangible benefits for people and the planet and respond to the needs and aspirations of partner countries.
Multilateralism
We call on the Leaders and AU-EU Institutions to:
Establish a permanent AU–EU mechanism ensuring Youth and Civil Society Consultative Status and meaningful participation.
Foster an inclusive and future-ready global financial architecture by making international financial institutions more democratic and accountable.
Fulfil climate and biodiversity commitments by urgently implementing the Paris Agreement, supporting Africa's renewable energy ambitions, and delivering on climate-finance obligations.
Leverage creative and media partnerships by engaging the media, arts, and cultural sectors to democratise knowledge and enhance public participation.
Jointly commit to protecting and expanding a safe and enabling environment for civil society, youth, and media actors.
Make AU–EU dialogues more inclusive by decentralising forums and enabling hybrid participation to reach under-represented and marginalised communities.
Reaffirm commitment to the 2030 Agenda and work closely with civil society and youth to accelerate progress and shape a post-2030 development framework.
Ahead of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference, jointly pioneer meaningful trade reform to advance a more inclusive and equitable global trading system.
Conclusion
We, as African and European civil society and youth, hereby commit to following up on the implementation of this Declaration as the foundation for deeper, more effective collaboration between our continents.