By Grace Alegba
Lagos – To set a new global architecture promoting youth empowerment in Africa and Brazil, there is need for South-South Cooperation.
The Director, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, Jorge Chediek, made the remark at the 6th Brazil Africa Forum which ended in Salvador on Friday.
The Forum was organised by the Brazil-Africa Institute.
Chediek, in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said the Cooperation was willing to promote youth empowerment in Africa and in Brazil.
He said, “Regardless of the current social and political environment being experienced in the region.”
Chediek said that nine out of 10 young people living in the region did not have opportunities at the national level.
According to him, it is necessary to create elements to change the current situation and share them with other countries.
Chediek said that driven by the principles of equality, the policy of non-interference and self-confidence among the countries of the South, the South-South Cooperation had been very successful.
He cited examples of the successes in Brazil, India, and China, where several people were brought out of extreme poverty.
“In South Africa, we saw Mandela free. Southern countries have gained confidence in themselves and have begun to use their resources in more sustainable ways. They are also increasingly trading more among themselves,’’ he said.
Chediek also stressed the need for collective stakeholders’ engagement to tackle international challenges of development.
He called for continuity of the forum, saying that the Atlantic Ocean should not be a divisor, but a symbol of friendship and unity.
NAN reports that the Brazil-Africa Institute is a non-profit organisation established to promote relations between Brazil and the African continent; championing economic development for governments and private sector interests. (NAN)