PM to attend AU-EU Summit begins in Abidjan today

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä will attend the African Union – European Union Summit to be held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire on 29–30 November.

The theme of the 5th African Union – EU Summit is ‘Investing in the youth for a sustainable development’, said a government press release.

Over the next few decades, 18 million new jobs a year need to be created in Africa to employ the growing number of young people on the continent. The future of African youth is a key question also from the European perspective, for example due to migration.

Before the actual summit, representatives of African and European youth gathered in their own event to draw up a declaration for the Heads of State and Government of their continents.

Finland strives to make young people’s voices better heard in the summit also by appointing a young representative to Prime Minister’s summit delegation and by encouraging other countries to do the same.

The national service and lobbying organisation for youth work Allianssi has selected Tuomas Tikkanen, Chair of JEF Finland (Eurooppanuoret), to represent Finnish youth in the summit.