In 2024, Burundi’s youth are a powerful force for transformation, making up nearly 60% of the population. This young generation holds immense potential to shape the nation’s future through education, entrepreneurship, health initiatives and civic leadership. Yet, unlocking this potential requires overcoming persistent challenges, such as gender inequality, unemployment, and limited access to resources.

Recognizing the vital role young people play in building a more equitable society, UN Women and UNFPA, in collaboration with Burundi’s Ministry of Youth, organized an exchange session to amplify youth leadership on generation equality and the demographic dividend. This event brought together 100 young leaders from academia, national youth forums and civil society organizations, from Bujumbura and Gitega to discuss gender integration, health, advocacy, and sustainable development.

Claudia Flora Akimana: “Without resources, our dreams remain impossible”

Claudia Flora Akimana, a 29-year-old member of Burundi's National Youth Council, was present to learn more about generation equality and its priorities and to network with fellow young people from the country. Burundi's National Youth Council, of which Claudia is a member, is a national that promotes girls' empowerment. However, “despite the visible impact of its actions, the organization lacks funding”, says Claudia.

“Sometimes, I see fund-raising rejections due to institutional challenges. This creates frustration because it restricts our projects and vision and limit our contributions to national progress for girls in Burundi.”

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Claudia makes a call to action: girl-led initiatives deserve adequate funding and support to ensure real equality. “Without resources, our dreams remain impossible”, Claudia explains. She urges NGOs and international partners to invest in girl-led organizations, as they are the key in building an equal and just future.

Belyse Irankunda: “We girls have a voice. Don't let our ideas go to waste”

Belyse Irankunda, 22, is East Africa's Young Community Ambassador for Burundi, where she grew up in a community where most leaders were men. Although bright and full of ideas, Belyse was rarely invited to participate in important decisions, either at school or in her community.

“Boys always spoke up, while girls were left out and discriminated against. This lack of female leadership hindered girls' full participation in decision-making, limiting their influence on crucial issues”. This led her to become a member of the East African Community Women Ambassadors' Forum.

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Belyse makes a calls to young girls: “We girls have a voice. Don't let our ideas and talents go to waste. We must be present in the decisions that shape our future.” Belyse urges young girls to stand together and seize their rightful place in positions of power. She calls on them to actively commit to driving change and to champion female leadership across all fields, paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable tomorrow.

Davin Munezero: “I encourage all of you, girls, to connect and empower each other”

Davin Arsène Munezero, 27, is a member of the Africa Youth Leadership Forum, an association that brings together young leaders from Africa to advance on gender promotion, leadership and empowerment. At meetings, he noticed that girls were always a minority.

“Discussions about empowerment were dominated by boys, and girls’ ideas were hard to come by”, shared Davin, after realizing that “until girls are well-represented in these spaces, their empowerment will remain incomplete”.

On the eve of Beijing +30, Davin called out to girls: "Empowerment begins with active participation and I encourage all of you, girls, to connect and empower each other, because the more visible and active you are, the more your voices will count in building an equal future".

s these voices call for action, the message is clear: true progress requires collective commitment, adequate resources, ad an unwavering belief in the potential of young people in Burundi and in Africa.