History of the ASC

The African Students' Conference (ASC) has been organized annually since 1999 and aims to bring together the African student community in the Netherlands to discuss current challenges facing the African continent and themselves as youth in particular. Conferences are dealing with various crucial issues of major concern in the field of advancing peace and have been flagship events to raise awareness and encourage research and action on peacebuilding and youth work.

In particular, one of the conferences objectives is to encourage students to use their skills, knowledge and unique experiences gained from their stay in the Netherlands as they go back to Africa. It shall increase their awareness on the role they can play in building peace in their home country. The emphasis is therefore on the contribution that youth can make to building sustainable peace in Africa and on the practical experiences of youth in the Netherlands with the challenges they face, at home and abroad. The participants and the speakers represent a balanced group between academic experts and policy makers, youth workers, NGO leaders and community leaders. The ASC have a different focus or theme each year, provided for the most crucial issue arising at that time.

African Students' Conferences in an Overview

1999: Time to Abolish War: Peace and Justice for Africa in the New Millennium
2000: Children in Armed Conflicts in Africa: Give Children Peace; not Guns
2001: Peace through Justice: the Role of International Law in Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding in Africa
2002: Building Peace in Africa: The Challenges of Integrating Good Governance and Poverty Alleviation in the African Peacebuilding Agenda
2003: Building Peace in Africa: NePAD and the Challenges for Peace
2004: Youth Building Peace in Africa: Inclusion, Empowerment, Action
2005: Building Peace in Africa: Human Security and the Millennium Development Goals
2006: Building Peace in Africa: The Impact of Religion
2007: Building Peace in Africa: Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Reconciliation

The Conferences have been hosted by the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague (ISS) and organized in collaboration with The African Committee (TAC), an African student organisation in the Netherlands, many of its members attending the ISS.

Throughout the past, the African Students' Conference has received financial support from several parties:

ICCO
NCDO
NOVIB/Oxfam
PLAN Netherlands
The Global Coalition for Africa (GCA)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Municipality of The Hague

We remain thankful for your generous contribution.