The 5th African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Youth, Culture and Sport (STC-YCS-V) was held in Bujumbura, Burundi from 12th to 13th December 2025. The STC-YCS is composed of Ministers in charge of Youth, Culture and Sport from African Union Member States and meets every two years in line with its Rules of Procedure.
The STC-YCS-V in Bujumbura started with a meeting of Experts from the 3 Sectors: Youth, Culture and Sport that was held from 9th to 11th December 2025 to prepare for the Ministers’ meeting. The theme of the STC-YCS-V was “Reclaiming Dignity and Advancing Reparatory Justice Through Youth, Culture and Sport” drawn from the 2025 African Union Theme of the Year, that is responding to the longstanding demand for restorative justice and reparation for the injustices of slavery, colonialism, apartheid, and systemic exploitation.
The hybrid session was attended by African Union Member States, Organs, Specialized Agencies, Institutions of the African Union, Partner and International Organisations. The STC-YCS-V had panel discussions that discussed how the 3 sectors: Youth, Culture and Sport can contribute and benefit from restorative justice and reparation for African and people of African descent in line with the theme of the year.
Under the Sport Sector, the STC-YCS-V deliberated on continental sports matters that included adoption of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) 5-Year Strategic Plan for the period 2024-2028 with its digital monitoring and evaluation framework. The AUSC strategic plan is aimed at promoting a more systematic and comprehensive approach to long-term planning of African sport policy and practice.
The Ministers also deliberated on the importance of full operationalisation of AUSC Development Regions and organisation of African Games in line with the Statute of AU Sports Council that was endorsed by the Assembly of Heads of States and Governments in 2016.
Furthermore, the STC-YCS-V deliberated on matters to do with the World Antidoping Agency (WADA), particularly the need to align antidoping with the recently revised World Anti-Doping Code that will come into force on 1 January 2027. The Ministers encouraged Member States to participate in the FIFA Football for Schools and FIFA Arena initiatives aimed at expanding access for children in schools to participate in football. They also agreed to develop and adopt policies addressing sports trafficking and prioritising safeguarding of youth from unscrupulous academies and sports agents that facilitate the scourge.
The next STC-YCS-VI will be held in May 2027 in Abuja, Nigeria.
