The second training session of the Rule of Law Youth Network (RoLYN), organised by the North-South Centre with the support of the South Programme V, was held in Cabo Verde from 25 to 29 June 2024. RoLYN aims to equip youth organisations with knowledge, tools and a platform to explore rule of law issues based on Council of Europe and other international standards, encouraging action by young people for positive change in their communities.

Organised as a follow-up to the launch of this network in March 2024 in Tunis, the second training session for RoLYN members contributed to further work on the links between corruption and environmental degradation, through presentation sessions and practical application exercises.

Presentations and exchanges with representatives of the Council of Europe's Economic Crime and Cooperation Division and the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) gave participants a better understanding of the Organisation's main tools and conventions in this area. The fight against climate change and the protection of the environment were at the heart of the presentations by representatives of the African Union's Youth Programme and the Cabo Verde Ministry of the Environment and Agriculture.

Participants appropriated and applied the knowledge acquired through practical case exercises and role-playing, inviting them to work in groups and develop advocacy and awareness-raising strategies as members of civil society to combat environmental corruption.

The members of the network also took advantage of the plenary sessions organised as part of the AYUD and established contacts with the 80 representatives of youth organisations gathered in Cabo Verde to explore the theme #ForTheCulture of human rights and the rule of law.

The training was organised within the framework of the African University on Youth and Development (AUYD) as part of iLEGEND III: Intercultural Learning Exchange through Global Education, Networking and Dialogue, a joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe, co-funded by the two organisations and implemented by the North-South Centre. The AUYD aims to create a space for debate and reflection, positive youth action and the promotion of youth policies, training and non-formal education, as well as intercultural and interregional dialogue in the context of Euro-African cooperation on youth and the follow-up to the Africa-Europe Youth Summits.