Media Advisory
Investing in Young People to Secure Peace, Security in Lake Chad Basin Nations Attacked by Terrorists
17 September 2015
UNITED NATIONS, New York—In support of ongoing initiatives for countries affected by the current terrorist crisis in the Lake Chad Basin area (Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria), UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is organizing a special event during the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit.
The event will make an important contribution to dealing with the crisis, building resilient communities in the sub-region and preserving their gains from the Millennium Development Goals, while helping affected countries pursue the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals.
In Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, insurgents are exploiting the huge youth populations which, otherwise, could be assets for employment, innovation and development. It is a potential which, if combined with the right policies and demographic transitions, could provide the region with the opportunity to harness a demographic dividend that leads to rapid economic development. The demographic dividend is the accelerated economic growth that could result when a country’s working age population grows larger than the non-working dependents.
While the crisis damages entire communities, women are particularly targeted. As of April 2015, more than 2,000 women and young girls have been abducted, according to Amnesty International.
The UNFPA event, expected to be addressed by Heads of State of affected countries and leaders of international organizations, will offer an opportunity to propose strategic initiatives to support and empower young people and protect them from manipulation and radicalization.
WHAT: Special event on Investing in Young People to Secure Peace, Security in Lake Chad Basin Nations Attacked by Terrorists
WHEN: 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, 26 September 2015
WHERE: Conference Room 5, United Nations Secretariat, New York
WHO:
Invited Speakers:
- President of Benin, Boni Yayi
- President of Cameroon, Paul Biya
- President of Chad, Idriss Deby Itno
- President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou
- President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari
- UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin
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For more information, or to set up interviews with participants, please contact:
New York: Anne-Isabelle Leclercq, +1 212 297 5014; leclercq@unfpa.org
Dakar: Habibatou Gologo, +221 33 859 84 40; gologo@unfpa.org
