AFRICAN YOUTH CHARTER • 7 African Youth Charter PREAMBLE GUIDED by the Constitutive Act of the African Union, the States Parties to the present “African Youth Charter”; GUIDED by the vision, hopes and aspirations of the African Union, inclusive of Africa’s integration, the inherent dignity and inalienable rights afforded to all members of the human family as set out in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976), and articulated for the African peoples through the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (1986); RECALLING the resolution of the Heads of State and Government during the 1999 Algiers Summit for the development of the Pan-African Charter; FULLY ATTACHED to the virtues and values of African historical tradition and civilization which form the foundation for our concept of people’s rights; RECALLING the historic injustices imposed on Africa such as slavery, colonization, depletion of natural resources and taking into account the firm will of African peoples for self-determination and the economic integration of Africa; CONVINCED that Africa’s greatest resource is its youthful population and that through their active and full participation, Africans can surmount the difficulties that lie ahead;