Schedule

What is AAYF?

The Africa-Asia Youth Forum

(AAYF) is an intercontinental initiative launched by O-YES Global Foundation, a youth-led nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young people. AAYF aims to foster youth-led cooperation between Africa and Asia by creating a platform for young leaders to connect, share ideas, and collaborate on innovative solutions to global and regional challenges. It supports young people in building skills, developing leadership capacity, and promoting mutual understanding to advance sustainable development across both continents.

The first edition of AAYF took place from 28th to 30th July 2022 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, supported by the FDRE Ministry of Women and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Labor and Skills. It featured thematic discussions on entrepreneurship, agriculture, peace, and leadership, providing a solid foundation for intercontinental youth engagement.

Building on its success, the second edition of AAYF was held from 12th to 13th June 2023, also in Addis Ababa, with expanded support from the Ministry of Peace, Authority for Civil Society Organizations, and the Embassy of Indonesia in Addis Ababa, among others. It further solidified AAYF’s role in enhancing inter-regional dialogue and youth-led collaboration.

The third edition, AAYF 2024, was held from 14th to 15th December 2024 in Jakarta, Indonesia, marking the first time the forum was hosted in Asia. The event showcased growing intercontinental momentum, engaging more than 3,000 participants from over 40 African and Asian countries through both physical and virtual participation.

AAYF has emerged as a dynamic platform for leadership development, innovation, and knowledge sharing. Through keynote addresses, panel discussions, interactive workshops, and cultural exchanges, the forum provides young people with a space to engage directly with policymakers, development experts, and private sector leaders. The theme of AAYF 2024, "Youth Economic Empowerment: Leadership, Innovation, and Sustainable Work", focused on equipping youth with the tools and opportunities necessary to contribute meaningfully to economic development and governance. Now in its fourth edition, AAYF 2025 will be hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, continuing the forum’s legacy of cross-continental youth empowerment. This edition reflects a deeper commitment to advancing youth-led peacebuilding, innovation, and inclusive development.

AAYF-2025 Thematic Areas

Participants will have the opportunity to explore key topics and share ideas, skills, knowledge, and experiences among themselves and from invited guest honors, world class speakers, mentors, and facilitators. Under the ''Youth as Drivers of Peace, Innovation, and Economic Growth in Africa and Asia" AAYF 2025 focus on:

Youth in Peacebuilding, Leadership

Innovation, Entrepreneurship
Employability

Who Should Attend AAYF-2025?

The participants of the 4th Africa-Asia Youth Forum (AAYF 2025) are government representatives, Civil Society Organizations’ leaders, global senior leaders and businessmen, young leaders, entrepreneurs, academicians, students, journalists and other public figures across the global particularly Africans and Asians. A total of 150 participants are expected to attend the 4th AAYF in Nairobi, Kenya.

**REGISTRATION FEE: 300, 350, 400 USD, Early Bird, Regular and Late registration respectively.**

WHAT DOES FEE INCLUDE?

International Delegates
The fee includes Program costs, Accommodation, Meal, Refreshments, Certificate, Local transport.
NOTE: All international delegates are responsible for Air Ticket, Insurance, Visa, and others not mentioned above expenses.

AFRICA-ASIA YOUTH FORUM-AAYF 2025 KENYA

The 4th edition, AAYF 2025 will be hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, continuing the forum’s legacy of cross-continental youth empowerment. This edition reflects a deeper commitment to advancing youth-led peacebuilding, innovation, and inclusive development. The theme "Youth as Drivers of Peace, Innovation, and Economic Growth in Africa and Asia" highlights the pivotal role that young people play in shaping the future of their regions. With a growing youth population across both continents, empowering them is essential to fostering peace, innovation, and sustainable economic growth. By tapping into their potential, we can address challenges such as unemployment, conflict, and social inequality, creating a foundation for long-term development. This theme emphasizes the importance of equipping youth with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities needed to drive positive change in their communities and beyond.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of AAYF 2025 are centered on empowering youth as key drivers of peace, innovation, and economic growth across Africa and Asia. The forum aims to strengthen the leadership capacities of young people by providing targeted training and mentorship in peacebuilding, economic development, and innovation. It seeks to promote active youth engagement in peacebuilding by fostering a deeper understanding of the critical role youth can play in resolving conflicts and building sustainable peace within their communities.
AAYF 2025 also supports innovation and entrepreneurship by equipping young participants with the necessary skills and resources to develop creative solutions and launch ventures that contribute to economic growth. In addition, the forum aims to create inclusive platforms for youth collaboration, enabling partnerships and networks that allow young people to share knowledge, co-create initiatives, and amplify their impact across continents. Finally, it advocates for youth-inclusive policies by pushing for the meaningful involvement of young people in decision-making processes at local, national, and international levels, ensuring that their voices shape the policies that affect their lives and communities.

Participant Selection and Eligibility Criteria
The application will be open until 10 August 2025 at 05:00 pm EAT. The selected applicants will be notified in three working days and letter of acceptance will be sent as soon as the registration fee payment proof sent to the organizing committee. Detailed information about their participation and the agenda will be available by 15 August 2025 at 05:00 pm EAT.
The selection of participants will be based on the following criteria:
• Must be interested in AAYF 2025 focus areas.
• Must pay the required registration fee.
• Must be 18 years and older
• Free from any crime or illegal activities and eligible to get Ethiopia Visa.
• Proficiency in English is required for all participants.
Note:
• Youth participants affiliated with a youth-led organization, network or movement are highly encouraged to apply.
• The participants who wish to participate in the event from abroad must cover their own expenses for transportation to and from the venue (accommodation and meals provided by organizer).
• The organizer will select a maximum of 150 participants based on their motivation, capacities and English proficiency while considering gender and geographical balance.

How to Apply

Applicants are expected to fill out the application form online with their personal information, educational and professional background attaching a:
• Statement briefly detailing why they want to participate in the AAYF 2025, highlighting the role of the youth in achieving SDGs in Africa and Asia,
• A copy of passport
• A curriculum Vitae.
All applications should be completed through this link

Presentation Keynote Speach Youth Participation

About O-YES Global Foundation

O-YES Global Foundation is a youth lead, non- profit and non-Government global organization founded on the 19th of August 2014 in Thailand and 28th of October 2019 in Ethiopia to support and empower youth by designing and implementing youth-focused development programs and initiatives in partnership with local communities, governments, International Organizations & other stakeholders that are working or willing to work for the causes of youth at all levels.

O-YES is a vibrant youth organization that envisions educated, empowered, prosperous and self-sustaining youths across the country. For 7 years, our sole focus has been to help young people succeed. Together with partners around the world, we have invested in ensuring that youth are educated, develop the leadership, entrepreneurship, technical, and life skills to earn a livelihood. Whether it is landing a first job, growing a business, or driving social change, every young person deserves the opportunity to realize his or her full potential.

Rooted in the belief of youth as problem-solvers, change-makers, and leaders, our initiatives are catalysts for change. O-YES harness and develop the power of young people, by effectively involving them in direct implementation of the core activities that develops their skills, enabling them become self-reliance and sustainable people in community service and development. We engage young people in a constructive manner enabling them initiative and build their ideas, develop prototype, test, and develop products/-services that meet their needs and help reduce the problems and challenges that they most faced in their country.

O-YES delivers its activities through the power and spirit of volunteerism and collective fund-raising approach to produce empowered and developed youth and thriving society in general.