From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS: BURKINA FASO: YOUTH CONFERENCE FOR
Date: 29 Aug 92 20:17:30 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Originator: barnhart@gagme

Reference: Agriculture
Title: BURKINA FASO: YOUTH CONFERENCE FOR ERADICATION OF HUNGER


an inter press service feature

by brahima ouedraogo

ouagadougou, aug 22 (ips) -- the first of a series of regional
youth conferences to be held on the african continent opened in
the burkina faso capital ouagadougou thursday to evaluate the
implementation of the plan of action adopted by the world summit
on children, september 1991.

the conference, which is running under the theme ''the role
of the african youth in the implementation of the world plan of
action for children in the elimination of hunger'' will also
determine the tasks which befall the youth in the actual
execution of the plan of action.

organised by the hunger project, the conference brings
together 150 participants from signatory countries of the
declaration of the world summit on children, which pledged to
contribute effectively to saving the lives of fifty million
children by the year 2000.

a special feature of the ouagadougou conference is the
participation of youth and children as actors in the
development process. they will be taught how to coordinate
with their brothers and sisters in the hinterland towards
the eradication of hunger.

warning youth delegates that they must proove their worth and
not treat the conference as a ''holiday camp'', stanislas
adoten, u.n. children's fund (unicef) director for east and
central africal told the conference that the plight of african
youth is due to the economic crisis currently shaking african
countries, but african governments were also to blame.

''wrong priorities, definitions and needs that lead our
countries to allocate huge amounts of money in military budgets
and in the search of prestige, instead of investing in social
projects, such as health, education and water constitute another
source of problems'' he said.

fitigou tadesse, director of the africa and asia divisions of
the non-governmental organisation the hunger project, added that
while the continent therfore possesses financial and technical
means to eradicate hunger and to ensure safe and better life for
its youth ''there is a lack of political will to get rid of this
terrible scourge that is famine and hunger''. (more/ips)


burkina faso: youth (2)

because of lack of prioritisation and the debt burden, while
developed countries are pursuing economic growth, developing
countries in general and those in africa in particular are still
grappling with providing basic needs such as health, education,
safe drinking water and sanitation.

according to statistics, african children and youth are the
most hard hit by malnutrition, lack of health care, lack of
training and illiteracy.

with 107 out of every thousand children dying, infant
mortality on the continent is the highest in the world. among
the industrialised nations, the average is eight to one thousand
children.

in several countries two years after the world summit
declaration, nothing concrete has been undertaken.

''it is in ouagadougou that we hope to hear what efforts
unicef has made so far to ensure the survival and development of
beninese childrenn'' said fatoumatou batogo one of the two
delegates from benin.

unlike benin, namibia has launched various campaigns directed
at children such as national immunisation and the provision of
water to drought affected communities according to namibian
delegate jeremiah mundinohamba.

but the general patterns of african youth under development
''make the present forum a ray of hope because with the support
of adults it is an opportunity for the african youth to show its
determinaton to work towards making the fate of children a
priority,'' said youth conference president valery ouedraogo.

''never more let hunger eliminate youth but rather that youth
may eliminate hunger,'' added ouedraogo.

top on the ouagadougou conference is also is the qustion of
how to help needy children in rural areas and get them
intergrated in different activities.

''this conference will devise means to build a bridge between
the children in rural areas and those in the cities, there is no
privileged group in our programmes'' said tadesse.
(end/ips/bo/tvh/oa/92)


-- 
Mr. Aaron Barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us -- posting from Evanston, Illinois