Minister Faure Presents Youth Forum Outcomes as Rapporteur at OACPS Summit in Malabo
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr. Barry Faure, delivered an oral report in his capacity as Rapporteur of the Youth Forum during the second and final day of the 11th Summit of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). The report presented key recommendations and commitments emerging from the Youth Forum held on 26 March 2026 under the theme “OACPS Youth Compact: Jobs, Resilience, Action.”
In his presentation, Minister Faure underscored that young people across OACPS regions continue to face persistent and interconnected challenges, including limited access to decent employment, barriers to entrepreneurship, unequal access to digital opportunities, and restricted participation in decision-making processes. He highlighted the urgent need to accelerate pathways to youth employment through targeted skills development, expanded internship and apprenticeship programmes, and improved access to finance for youth-led enterprises. The Minister further emphasized the importance of equipping youth with future-ready skills, particularly in digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and climate-smart sectors, to enhance innovation, productivity, and resilience.
The Youth Forum Report also stresses the importance of strengthening resilient livelihoods and climate adaptation, including through youth-led solutions in climate-smart agriculture, rural and coastal development, and sustainable resource management. He highlighted the need to address structural barriers faced by young women and to promote inclusive participation across all sectors. In addition, it emphasizes the importance of fostering trusted digital ecosystems, combating misinformation, and enhancing partnerships with governments, international organisations, financial institutions, and the private sector to mobilise resources and support scalable youth initiatives.
Concluding his report, Minister Faure presented key recommendations to inform the Summit Declaration, including the establishment of an OACPS Youth Compact on “Jobs, Resilience, and Action,” the creation of an OACPS Youth Advisory Board, and the development of structured volunteerism, internship, and young professional programmes. He further highlighted the proposal to operationalise a Youth Action Pipeline and dedicated financing mechanisms to ensure implementation, accountability, and sustained momentum beyond Malabo. The Minister underscored that youth are not merely beneficiaries, but central actors to and changemakers in driving the transformation and renewal of the OACPS.
Seychelles was also instrumental in shaping the Malabo Declaration, notably advocating for the inclusion of a provision requesting the OACPS Secretariat to undertake a study on the cost of operating at its current headquarters, with a view to exploring relocation to an OACPS Member State, as well as securing language commending the International Court of Justice for its favourable Advisory Opinion on the obligations of States in respect of climate change, thereby reinforcing the legal basis for global climate action.
Seychelles’ delegation to the Summit comprised of Mr. Kenneth Racombo, Ambassador of Seychelles in Brussels accredited to the OACPS; Mr. Marco Larsen, First Secretary and Desk Officer for the OACPS; and Mr. Rodney Sinon, Second Secretary at the Seychelles Embassy in Brussels.
