Assembly/AU/Decl.1(XVII) Page 1 DECLARATION ON CREATING EMPLOYMENT FOR ACCELERATING YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND EMPOWERMENT We, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, meeting at our Seventeenth Ordinary Session in Malabo, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, from 30 June to 1 July 2011; DEEPLY CONCERNED about the rise in unemployment and under-employment in Africa, particularly among the youth and the serious threat they pose to social cohesion, political stability and the future socio-economic development prospects of our various countries; RECALLING the African Youth Charter and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples‟ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa; ALSO RECALLING the Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment Promotion and Poverty Alleviation; the AU Social Policy Framework; the AU Migration Policy Framework; the African Women Decade 2010-2020; the African Youth Decade Plan of Action, 2009-2018; and other related policy documents, as well as the Millennium Development Goals, all together aimed at improving the wellbeing of African people; WELCOMING outcomes of the G20 Summits in London and Pittsburgh on strong, sustained and balanced global growth; CONVINCED that employment promotion measures should be driven by interventions based upon solidarity and equality, transparency and accountability, and supported by the State, Private Sector, Employers and Trade Unions, and Civil Society Organizations to foster cohesion and social integration in African societies; FURTHER CONVINCED that the promotion of productive youth employment is vital to youth empowerment; Hereby COMMIT to the following: 1. REAFFIRM individually and collectively, our previous commitments aimed at accelerating job creation, reduction of poverty, social protection for our people and the social development of Africa. In this regard, we rededicate ourselves and commit our countries to accelerate efforts to reduce unemployment and under-employment of Africa‟s Youth and Women and thereby attain all MDGs by 2015; 2. REDUCE Youth and Women unemployment by at least two percent annually over the next five years as contained in the Youth Decade Plan of Action 2009-2018; 3. MAINTAIN, extend and harmonize Labour Market Information Systems in support of employment policy formulation, implementation and evaluation;