Written by Hanna Kumera Kitila, Earth Charter Young Leader from Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
On 25 March 2022, the European Union Delegations hosted a launching event for the first ever youth sounding board (YSB) in Ethiopia at European Union delegation office garden. The European Union Commissioner for International Relationships, Jutta Urpilainen and the EU highly believes in youth empowerment and youths should be involved in shaping and implementing its external action.
Therefore the Youth Sounding Board is created for the purpose of creating a real, lasting change in how the EU engages with young people in its development cooperation. The Youth Sounding Board is a space for young people to have an influence on the EU’s external action through its international partnerships.
I was very delighted to be part of the launching event among influential young leaders in Ethiopia. as a young leader/ advocate myself, I highly support the launching of the YSB in Ethiopia. I have always believed “young peoples are not just the leaders of tomorrow but today!” we must have meaningful engagement with national, regional and international organizations, we should be involved in policy making and we should play our role in making the UN SDGs come true.
In order to do so, we must be given opportunities to be involved in all parts of campaigns or programs from agenda setting and decision-making to implementation and evaluation. I strongly believe the YSB is going to be a platform for us to express ourselves and show our potential. And as one of the Earth Charter Youth Leaders I am proud to be part of this movement from the grassroots level.
