CCCPA is pleased to announce that Yara Ouda, CCCPA's Program Officer on Youth, Peace, and Security, has been selected as a member of the 1st cohort of the African Union's (AU) Network of African Youth on Conflict Prevention and Mediation (WiseYouth), the subsidiary mechanism of the AU’s Panel of the Wise. Yara Ouda is the first Egyptian to join the network for a three-year mandate after a selection process with more than 2,000 applicants across Africa.

From September 30 to October 3, 2024, Yara Ouda participated in the network’s first meeting at the African Union Commission (AUC) headquarters. The meeting kicked off the operationalization of the network, discussing the efforts of African Youth in conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding as well as case studies on peace processes in Sudan, Libya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Gaza. 

As an AU Center of Excellence, CCCPA congratulates the 20 members of the Network from across the 5 regions of the African continent and hails the AU’s efforts to empower youth in promoting peace, security and resilience in Africa. CCCPA looks forward to working with the African Union Commission, Political Affairs, Peace and Security (AUC-PAPS) in advancing the Network’s work through training and capacity building in conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacebuilding across Africa.