European Youth Forum

Equality & Human Rights

The promotion of diversity in Europe , based on values such as equality, human rights, democracy and solidarity, has always been at the very core of the European Youth Forum. The YFJ believes that diversity strongly contributes to the cohesion of European societies. As such, one of the key aims of the European Youth Forum is to promote the active participation of all young people in society, in full respect of the aforementioned values.

However, the European Youth Forum recognises that not all young people have equal opportunities to participate and that many suffer from discrimination or human rights violations. Young women, young disabled people and young people from minority backgrounds are particularly likely to be discriminated against. This effectively restricts their opportunities in many areas of their lives such as education, employment and access to social protection, and limits the extent to which they can be active citizens. For this reason, the European Youth Forum's work in the field of human rights and equality promotes gender equality and seeks to fight against discrimination and racism. The European Youth Forum also believes that multiple discrimination, as it affects young people, shall be addressed. It also seeks to reinforce the need for universal human rights by promoting human rights education.