SYNTHETIC REPORT OF THE PLENARY SESSION OF DECEMBER 08, 2022.

The year two thousand and twenty-two, on the eighth day of December, the senators met in the hemicycle of the Senate in Gitega for the 114^th session of the sixth legislature to analyze and adopt the bill on the ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the African Youth Charter adopted in Banjul, Gambia, on July 2, 2006.

This session, which was led by the Speaker of the Senate, Right Honourable Emmanuel SINZOHAGERA, was attended by 36 senators and a Government Representative, Mr. François HAVYARIMANA, Minister of National Education and Scientific Research. It session began as usual, with a prayer at 11:29 a.m.

Opening the session, Senate Speaker first welcomed all the senators present and then invited the Representative of the Government to present the explanatory memorandum of the bill on the agenda.

In his presentation, the Minister indicated that Africa is a continent which has the youngest population in the world with more than 400 million young people between the ages of 15 and 35. This young population demands increased investment in development factors in African countries.

In addition, the Government Representative explained that in order to take advantage of the demographic dividend of the African continent, the African Union has developed several youth development policies and programmes, among which is the African Youth Charter. The latter was adopted at the summit of heads of state in Banjul on July 2, 2006, and implemented on August 8, 2009.

He added that the purpose of this Charter is to protect young people against discrimination, thereby guaranteeing them freedom of movement, speech, association, religion, property and other human rights, while committing to promote their participation in society.

Ultimately, the objective of the African Youth Charter is to prescribe to Member States responsibilities for youth development, to ensure the constructive involvement of the youth in Africa's development agenda and their effective participation in debates and decision-making processes on the development of the continent.

After this presentation, the floor was given to the Chairman of the Standing Committee in charge of Social, Youth, Sports and Culture Affairs, Honourable Ferdinand NDAYISAVYE to present the analysis report of the aforementioned bill.

At the end of this presentation, the Speaker of the Senate gave the floor to the Honourable senators so that they could express themselves within the framework of the general debate.

To the question posed by the senators to know what the Government of Burundi plans to do to protect young Burundians against the discrimination observed during their mobility in different sectors as well as the obstacles they encounter once they are in other African countries, the Representative of the Government replied that this observation had already been noticed by the African Heads of State. For him, the first remedy is to ratify this African Charter so that all Member States understand that everyone has the right to move and do their business within the African Union. Countries sometimes sign bilateral agreements to facilitate the movement of people and goods. This is a step-by-step process, he added.

As for the question of what Burundi plans to do to eradicate the obstacles encountered by young people during their mobility, the Minister replied that it is first necessary to implement the treaties signed. It is for this reason that each country can sign Agreements with another country to make the ratified Charter operational, he said.

To the question of the senators to know if the Government of Burundi recommends refresher courses for young people at the end of their studies, the Representative of the Government replied that this is an issue which is known by the Ministry. For him, the youth internships are encouraged especially that in this period when the BMD system is based on practice regardless of the field of training, he underlined.

To the concern of senators to know if boys and girls have the same rights to inheritance as stipulated in article 9 of the African Youth Charter, the Government Representative replied that Burundian culture is well organized in relation to the right of inheritance.

After these exchanges, the bill was put to the vote and was adopted unanimously by the 37 senators, among whom 36 present and 1 proxy.

The meeting, which took place in an atmosphere of mutual understanding, ended at 12:47 p.m. with a prayer.