To address democratic challenges and promote youth participation in public affairs, the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) is leading the European Union-funded project “Women and Youth in Democracy”. As members of the EPD, Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), together with the Kofi Annan Foundation, and the Oslo Center, are implementing the third pillar of this project “Accountability Hubs”, which aims to improve the inclusion of young people in democracy and decision-making.

The Women and Youth in Democracy (WYDE) initiative is bringing together young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa in a comprehensive training and networking programme. The goal is to enhance their skills in ethical and democratic leadership, project management, advocacy and communications, and develop pilot actions to put their project ideas into practice with dedicated seed grants.

Context

As the pressure is mounting on democracy, the rule of law and human rights globally, there is a need to protect and support democracies worldwide.

With half of the world’s population aged under 30, the continued support for democracy is highly dependent on the engagement of young people.

However, young people, particularly those from marginalised groups, are systematically underrepresented in public affairs, including in parliaments, political parties and at the ballot boxes. Economic and educational barriers to youth participation are exacerbated by a lack of information about democratic processes and ways of becoming active citizens.

Youth Inclusion in Democracy and Decision Making

To address democratic challenges and promote youth participation in public affairs, the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) is leading the European Union-funded project “Women and Youth in Democracy”.

As members of the EPD, the Kofi Annan Foundation, jointly with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and the Oslo Center, are implementing the third pillar of this project, “Accountability Hubs,” which aims to improve the inclusion of young people in democracy and decision-making.

Given the renewed appeal of authoritarianism in many countries, including in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the importance of positive role models for young people, the Accountability Hubs project aims to identify and support young leaders to work together and come up with innovative solutions to bring more accountability to democratic governance.

Key activities

Over the project period of 2022-2026, 40 young leaders experienced in working on accountability and youth empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa will be selected through an open and competitive process.

The young leaders are brought together in ‘Accountability Hubs’ – in French and one in English – and will undergo a comprehensive training and mentoring programme, consisting of both online and in-person activities.

The participants in the Accountability Hubs will jointly devise an ‘Accountability Toolkit’ to empower young people to take an active and effective part in democratic processes in their communities, aiming to improve democratic processes, accountability, anti-corruption efforts, transparency and youth inclusion.

"Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation." - Kofi Annan

From ideas to action: Seed grants and training

Accountability Hub participants will be able to design pilot actions and apply for grants to put their ideas into practice. The ideas will be developed as part of the training, which includes critical notions of project design, monitoring and evaluation and fundraising.

The participants will also have the opportunity to apply for a seed grant to implement the Accountability Toolkit and train other young people and youth-led organisations in their countries to use the Toolkit.

By bringing their learnings back to their communities, the young leaders will contribute to strengthening their national democratic structures, while anchoring the regional network to already existing national youth networks.

Accountability hubs partners

About the Women and Youth in Democracy (WYDE) initiative

The Youth Participation in Public Affairs programme of the EU’s Women and Youth in Democracy Initiative (WYDE) aims to improve the enfranchisement, empowerment, and inclusion of youth in all levels of democratic participation at the national, regional and global scales.

WYDE Youth’s three-pronged approach is informed by the need for youth engagement and inclusion not only at national level but beyond and above it. With half of the world’s population being under 30, the continued survival of democracy is highly dependent on buy-in and support among its youth.

The “Accountability Hubs” project is being implemented by Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the Kofi Annan Foundation, and The Oslo Center. The project aims to improve youth inclusion in democracy and decision-making. The project is one of five projects for WYDE led by the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) and implemented by its member organisations.

To learn more, visit the WYDE project page on the EPD website