Ghazali speaking at AU Summit on South–South cooperation
Hassan Ghazali, founder of the Nasser Movement and Fellowship for international Leadership participated as a speaker at the African Summit, November 2021, in Cairo. The Summit hosted the first highly representative conference on South-South Cooperation. This conference comes under the critically important three-pronged theme: "Building Resilient Societies in Africa.” It is organized by the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), in partnership with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (WIPO).
This came in the presence of a group of leaders from international and national organizations and institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank. The conference also included
decision-makers from various African countries, and high-level personalities, from
all parts of the world especially the countries of the South. The conference is considered a regional platform for African countries to exchange experiences on the importance of South-South and triangular cooperation to implement the sustainable development plan of Africa’s Agenda 2063. The conference also seeks to implement the United Nations Development Plan 2030. It is worth mentioning that the South-South cooperation is one of the most prominent pillars of sustainable development and a means to promote good governance and human rights, as well as, combating corruption.
In a related context, “Ghazali” participated as one of the young African leaders and representatives. In July 2019, Ghazali
participated as the spokesperson for the Nasser Fellowship for International Leadership in its first edition held under the auspices of the Prime Minister. He also participated in the second edition held last June 2021, under the auspices of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The Fellowship adopted the slogan "Southern cooperation in the south", and represented a form of youth diplomacy. It is one of the mechanisms for activating the United Nations Partnership Initiative for the South-South and the African Charter for Harnessing the Demographic Dividend.
For his part, “Ghazali” stressed that the fellowship came under this slogan, not only because it is the issue before the international community recently. Rather, the fellowship is a form of solidarity with the countries of the South. It comes on an equal footing with the late leader Nasser who has always sought solidarity through his policy and international initiatives. The most prominent of which was the Non-Aligned Movement and Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organization.
Ghazali continued, highlighting examples that confirm the efforts of the political leadership and the unique Egyptian experience towards empowering youth. The Egyptian experience plays a role in enhancing their participation, as well as, pushing them into decision-making centers and executive structures in the state. Especially among these centers and structures are the National Training Academy and the Youth Party Coordination. Moreover, in accordance with the April 2019 amendments of Article 102, the state has been keen to raise the percentage of women’s empowerment in parliament and local councils. This should consolidate the principle of gender equality and equal opportunities. Furthermore, Ghazali pointed out to the presidential program for youth and the keeness of political leadership to sustain and invest the energies of youth, and enable them by appointing them deputy ministers and assistant governors.
Ghazali concluded, stressing his keenness on the sustainability of the fellowship’s work in development, as well as, building skills and transferring national experiences in those fields. The Nasser Youth Movement comes out as one of the Fellowship’s achievements, which have so far included about 53 countries around Asia, Africa and Latin America. He added that the fellowship is considered an inclusive platform for young people whose coordinators work tirelessly to develop their peers, raise their abilities and skills, and enhance their participation at the national and international levels.
