The Youth for Tax Justice Network (YTJN) stands in solidarity with young people across Kenya who gathered peacefully on June 25 to mark one year since the tragic events of June 2024, and
to continue calling for justice, good governance and economic accountability.
As we approach World Environment Day on June 5, 2025, under the theme of “Beat Plastic Pollution,” we believe it is crucial to address the intertwined issues of plastic pollution and environmental degradation in our community.
The Youth for Tax Justice Network (YTJN), in collaboration with partners including, Africa-Europe Foundation and the Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF) is spearheading a side event at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4).
A key discussion point was the looming public debt crisis, driven more by domestic borrowing than external sources. This inward borrowing approach has the unintended effect of shrinking fiscal space and crowding out essential public services.
It’s a call to action for youth to rise, engage, demand, and drive transformative change and co-creators of a new financing paradigm that truly serves the people and the planet. This piece is also a call to action for governments, multi-lateral institutions and civil society organizations to rise to the challenge of meaningful youth inclusion.
The 2016 Africa Human Development Report highlights that gender inequality is costing sub-Saharan Africa on average US$95 billion annually. Gender equality is therefore instrumental to achieving sustainable economic and social development and should be mainstreamed into Africa’s trade agenda to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Domestic resource mobilization has become a concern for economies in the global south because of the changing international financial architecture.
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Fiscal discipline reduces unsustainable debt levels, freeing resources for investments in sectors like agriculture, tech, and green industries, which are critical for youth employment.