Annual Coordination visit of the European Youth Forum to Council of Europe

The European Youth Forum had its annual coordination visit to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg from 19-21 April. The visit involved a number of meetings with bodies and contacts of the Council of Europe, specifically those working on youth-related issues.

As part of this, the Youth Forum presented Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muiznieks with a copy of International Law of Youth Rights, which was launched last year and compiles various legal sources on the status of youth rights. The Youth Forum also met with Matthew Johnson, Director of Democratic Citizenship and Participation, and with bodies including Youth Department, World Forum for Democracy, Department of the European Social Charter, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Unit and Equality and Human Dignity Department.

Another important facet of this visit was the Youth Forum’s continuing work around the Council of Ministers’ draft Recommendation on Young people’s Access to Rights. This document is currently being discussed by the working group on culture after its approval by the Joint Council on Youth last October. During the coordination visit, the Youth Forum consulted with Permanent Representatives from 11 Members States of the Council of Europe to provide input to the draft. The adoption of the draft would conclude a long-lasting process for youth rights at Council of Europe level. The Youth Forum has previously advocated for the inclusion of a Convention on Youth Rights and an Ombudsman; both at a Youth Ministers’ Conference in St. Petersburg and in the drafting of the current recommendation.