Grace Émie Kutino Launches National Youth Consultations:

Kinshasa, September 2025 – For the first time in the Democratic Republic of Congo, young people across the country and abroad are being called to speak directly about their future. On Wednesday, the Minister of Youth and Patriotic Awakening, Grace Émie Kutino, officially launched the National Youth Consultations 2025, a process she described as “a historic moment where Congolese youth will no longer be spectators, but actors of their destiny.”

A Dual Mechanism: Online and On the Ground

The consultations will unfold in two complementary stages:

• Online Platform: A digital form accessible to all young people with an internet connection. Here, youth can share their concerns, ideas, and aspirations on issues ranging from education, employment, environment, citizenship, innovation, and social inclusion. ➙ Visit the official link

• National Tour: Minister Kutino and her team will travel across the country’s 26 provinces, meeting young people face-to-face. The tour will conclude in Kinshasa but will also extend to France, Belgium, and the United States, ensuring that the Congolese diaspora has a voice.

“A Country That Ignores Its Youth Ignores Its Strength”

In her speech, Kutino emphasized the urgency of listening to young voices:

She credited President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi and Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka for supporting this inclusive initiative, highlighting that youth are recognized at the highest level as the “force vive and future of the nation.”

Partnerships and Support

The consultations are not only a government initiative but also supported by international partners. The United Nations system, especially UNICEF, will provide technical and logistical assistance, alongside other financial partners.

Kutino pointed to the network of 8.9 million “U-Reporters” mobilized by UNICEF as crucial relays to collect and channel young people’s proposals.

From Voices to Policy

The National Youth Consultations aim to directly influence policy:

• Revise the National Youth Policy.

• Guide the design of public policies affecting young people.

• Build a National Youth Program that is realistic, inclusive, and future-oriented.

Kutino stressed that the outcome will not be symbolic but will “transform young people’s ideas into concrete decisions.”

A Historic Rendezvous

Closing her speech, Minister Kutino called on all young Congolese to seize the opportunity:

With this launch, Congo’s youth, at home and abroad, are being asked to shape the future of their nation not as bystanders but as active builders.