Sun Microsystems

23.August.2005 - The Second Pan African Youth Leadership Summit took place August 18-23, 2005, in Ifrane, Morocco, as part of a global United Nations initiative to mobilize a new generation of African leaders.

"Tell me what kind of young people you have, and I well tell you the future of your country," said President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, who hosted the first Summit last June in Dakar.

As the technology sponsor for this UN initiative, Sun Microsystems provided hardware, software, and training to connect the participants and give them ways to continue sharing ideas and shaping solutions beyond the Summit. A key piece of Sun's contribution is the design, content, and hosting of the United Nations Youth Leadership Summit's Web site and discussion forums.

The new web site was unveiled at the Summit by Prince Moulay Rachid (the younger brother of Morocco's King Mohammed VI), the Moroccan Prime Minister Driss Jettou, and John Gage, Sun Chief Researcher and a member of the United Nations Information and Communications Technology Taskforce.

Tackling Africa's Toughest Problems

More than 200 youth leaders from across the African continent attended the event, as did participants from previous regional UN Youth Leadership Summits in the Asia and Pacific, Latin America, and Caribbean regions. The regional summit series will lead to a Global Youth Leadership Summit at United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York in August 2006.

The youth participants worked together in a search for solutions to some of Africa's most pressing problems, including extreme poverty and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Sun and the Summit

"We are partnering with Sun because access to technology is crucial to engaging and connecting young people, yet is largely unavailable in developing parts of the world," says Dr. Djibril Diallo, director of the UN New York Office of Sport for Development and Peace and chair of the UN Youth Summit series.

Gage delivered a keynote presentation at the Summit to a packed house. His message emphasized that the youth of the world need to become connected, "and we should leave no stone unturned until that goal is achieved."

Gage also noted that a big problem in many African countries is access, with about half the Summit delegates depending on Internet cafes at often exorbitant prices--about 19 euros per hour in Niger, for example. There is a political challenge, Gage said, to persuade governments and IT providers to cut access prices, as their costs have dropped dramatically. He pledged that Sun will work with delegates to push for change.

Learn More about the challenges faced by Africa's youth leaders.