South African’s National Liberation Movement

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Declarations

ANCYL 22nd National Congress

18-22 August 2004

 We, delegates from all parts of South Africa, representing more than half a million youth, organized into more than a two thousand Youth League branches, proclaim for the youth and the country to know: That we gathered at a historic moment as we celebrate:
  • the first decade of freedom for our young nation; and
  • the 60th anniversary of the ANC Youth League.

We are mindful, as we welcomed our international friends who attended our 22nd Congress, of the challenges facing the youth of world, including:

• the challenge to end the marginalization of our continent and to work for Africa’s renaissance; • the challenge to end global apartheid, and the inequalities between the North and the South and build a just global world order;

 
• the challenge to build solidarity with people struggling against oppression;
 
• the challenge to work for a continent and world that is peaceful and respect the human dignity of all; and
 
• the challenge to ensure that we take care of and live in harmony with the earth, for our as well as future generations. We, delegates gathered at this 22nd Congress, were firm in our belief that the future will be what we make of it. In particular, we highlighted the key challenges facing our young nation, to:
 
• deepen and defend our fledging democracy;
 
• build our nation, united in our diversity; and • work for the emancipation of women and true gender equality; We are conscious that the struggle for a better life remains central to the mission of our movement and our people. That poverty and unemployment are the main obstacles preventing the attainment of this mission. As the youth of the African National Congress we declare that the struggle to eradicate poverty and unemployment constitutes the main frontier of struggle for the second decade of freedom. We re-affirm the twin tasks of the ANC to mobilize the youth behind the vision of the ANC and to champion their interests in all areas of society. We commit ourselves to organize the youth, wherever they are: • in rural villages, farms and towns; • in townships, informal settlements and suburbs; • in schools, institutions of higher learning, research institutes and places of training; • in the churches and religious institutions • in stokvels, social gatherings and clubs • in workplaces, trade unions, professional associations and business organizations. We affirm our position as a movement of the youth, representing the best of society and the best aspirations of the future. In this regard, we are proud to announce our decision to ensure a minimum quota of 40% representation of young women in all structures of the League, as part of or drive to ensure equal representation of women in all areas of our society. We further commit the League, its leadership, structures and members to intensify our struggle to champion the interest of youth, and ensure that our generation is able to seize and create the opportunities of democracy. As this 22nd National Congress, we resolved on the following key programmatic issues, which will ensure that over the next decade we are able to create a better life for youth and for our people: On Organisational Development, we resolved: 1) the NEC must develop, as a matter of urgency, a perspective that will facilitate a discussion aimed at consolidating political discipline within and amongst structures of the organization 2 2) That the National Executive Committee must prioritise the conclusion of the realignment process within the next twelve months. 3) Review the current system and explore possibilities of a improving the design of our membership system to fast-track the distribution of membership cards to members. 4) To develop an induction manual as a basic document of the YL, 5) Develop a focused female cadre development programme that must be integrated in the ongoing work of the organisation. 6) To intensify our mass work and campaigns around the mobilisation youth behind the process of change. 7) In the spirit of Letsema Vuk’uzenzele young people should continue to serve their communities without expecting rewards. 8) to engage ANC at all levels in relation to role, space and the autonomy of the YL 9) Call to all our structures to rise and defend the relationship of the YL and the ANC against forces of factionalism at all levels. On economic transformation, we resolved: 1) Lobby for direct representation of youth in the B.E.E Advisory Council 2) Lobby for access to training and funding of youth for SMME opportunities 3) Engage with UYF to enable young people to participate and access opportunities provided by the 2010 Soccer World Cup 4) Participate in development and strengthening youth voice in financial services charter 5) Join the SACP campaign on Bank Red Lining 6) Advocate for a 30% stake for youth in all procurement activities in both the public and private sectors 7) Advocate for a strong bias to rural youth especially with regard to participation in skills development 8) Fast track the one company one learner campaign On Social transformation: 1) Ensuring that HE restructuring is not limited to mergers, but focus on examining content and research in higher education. 2) Review NSFAS funding formula and lobby for a 50%/50% split in the bursary and loan components respectively 3) Encourage state agencies to plan, design, budget and deliver concrete NYS projects in every province to translate policy to programmes, 4) The NEC should work towards the framework to establish an integrated youth development agency comprising of Umsobomvu Youth Fund (UYF) and the NYC by June 2005. 5) Campaign for the gradually increase of the Child Support Grant (CSG) to cover all children below the age 18 by 2009Fast track the implementation of youth food gardens and be piloted in one (1) of the Provinces, Branches must ensure that they form partnerships with CBOs, (NAPWA) establish support groups, participating in Home and Community Based Care, treatment as part of process of implementing the programme. Including ensuring that both male and female condoms are permanently available in localities. On Information, Communications and Technology 1) Different technologies including wireless, Voice over Internet and open source software should be deployed across the country, especially in rural areas as an attempt to bring governance and services closer to the people 2) Lobby government to accelerate the roll-out ICTs, including Multi-Purpose Community Centres in rural areas. By 2009, all municipalities should have easily accessible MPCCs 3) Lobby the Dept of Education to introduce ICTs as one of the compulsory subjects in all public schools 4) Develop a dedicated programme to encourage youth entrepreneurship in the ICT sector 5) Dept of Communications, National Electronic Media Institute of SA, Institute for Software and Satellite Applications and ISETT SETA should develop a long-term ICT training programme to skill young people currently being cheated by private institutions which charge exorbitant fees 6) Lobby the Media Development and Diversity Agency, National Film and Video Foundation to invest in local film productions that tell African stories 7) Embark on ICT skills training for national, provincial and branch leaders On International affairs 1) Call on the ANC Youth League 22nd National Congress to lead in the implementation of effective outreach programmes that seek to support the rebirth and development of our continent, through participation in the nongovernmental initiatives of NEPAD such as the work of the NEPAD Secretariat 2) Strengthen existing relations between the youth wings of the former liberation organizations and the progressive youth movement in general and 3 look into areas around programme exchanges and capacity building. 3) Through people – to people engagement, the ANCYL should continue to engage with the people of Cuba especially around the continued programmes on the placement of South African students in universities in Cuba for medical training and other related fields. 4) We further re – affirm the resolution of the 51st National Congress of the ANC, which reads the “ people of Palestine like the Israelis have a right to self – determination and a national territory within secured and defined borders”recognized in numerous resolutions of the United Nations. 5) The 22nd Congress applauded the initiative taken by South Africa in convening the Women’s Dialogue on the Peace process in Burundi which saw civil society and women organizations engaged in a Dialogue to look at means of supporting the initiatives of women in Burundi towards arriving at a peaceful settlement of the conflict in their country. 6) The Commission recommends that Congress support the decision of the Great Lakes Regional Summit on Burundi to decal re the Palipehutu – FNL a terrorist organization. This is also in line with the comments made by President Mbeki when he addressed Congress. 7) The 22nd Congress welcomed the decision by the South African government to give political asylum to President Aristide and condemned the manner in which he was forcefully removed from Haiti and further called on the Haitian youth to defend the interest of the Haitian people and further conscientise the broader progressive youth movement in Haiti 8) The Commission reaffirmed the strengthening of WFDY and IUSY as complimentary role players in the evolution of the progressive perspective for the creation of a new and better world order. 9) The 22nd Congress calls on the incoming NEC to provide a necessary political and ideological support to all levels of our organisation to take up all issues and campaigns as part of implementation of programmes on international relations eg Xenophobia. On gender equality 1) To empower young women and to be consistent with national resolution that the threshold should also be adhered to at all levels of the organization and leadership positions for young women should not be ring fenced 2) The NEC to develop award guidelines for a well performing branch, region and province on gender equality issues 3) Regions to convene young women’s Indaba within twelve months which precede to provincial young women’s Indaba in 18months and later to National Women’s Indaba in 24 months 4) Young women to take up active membership in the ANCWL, this shall be a constitutional obligation, To be included on section F of the YL Constitution Relationship with the ANC members of the YL over the age of 18 should be obliged to play a full part in the general political life of the ANCWL 5) To convene quarterly political school at all levels of the organization 6) To take up joint programmes with the ANCWL on Gender Equality issues which amongst other are girl child, teenage pregnancy and gender based violence 7) ANCYL to lobby for a threshold of 40% employment to be allocated to young women through the 2010 soccer world cup 8) Expand public works programme should have a 40% quota for young people and be based on sustainable jobs 9) The YL must take up a joint campaign with the Department of Home Affairs on the issue of illegal and fake marriages affecting young women by taking a National Campaign of young women to check on their marital status 10) Commission resolved that the organization should take exception on sexual harassment inside or outside the organization by exposing perpetrators On governance 1) Communicate and popularize internal parliamentary institutions and their work e.g. Portfolio Committees, Parliamentary Standing committees, etc. Through a Youth league program provide branches with a rooster of parliamentary business for periodic inputs by Youth League members. 2) More attention should be given to local government where Youth league structures should engage the local Executive or Mayoral Committee directly on issues of Youth Development. 3) The ANCYL should seek to influence the composition of institutions like the Law Commission, Law Society, Corporate’s running Law Journal and NADEL through progressive individuals to influence the transformation of the Judiciary. 4) Youth Constituency Periods for young MP, MPLS and Councilor’s should be utilized for youth input into the legislative processes. 5) Enhance capacity of ANCYL structures to participate and influence the legislative process through public hearings; 6) ANCYL structures should track all legislation and policy initiatives that have an impact on Youth development and engage with them; 7) Within the next 6 months Provinces need to ensure that they finalise the process of launching local Youth Development Structures. 4 As a generation of youth, building on the proud traditions of our fore bearers, we commit ourselves to ensure that we participate in the life of our nation and our continent, and work tirelessly for a better South Africa, Africa and world.