Youth Forum demands a real rights-based approach to youth policy

Strasbourg, 28 October 2013 /// Today around 30 youth organisations and representatives of the European Court of Human Rights, the European Social Charter Department, the Youth Sector of the Council of Europe and the Ibero-American Convention on Youth Rights Experts’ Commission gathered together to attend the roundtable event: “The promotion of Youth Rights in Europe” that was organised by the European Youth Forum in Strasbourg. The event was aimed at discussing various measures that can improve the access young people have to their rights including the introduction of innovative legal and non-legal instruments as well as a better use of the existing international legal tools.

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The roundtable organised today by the European Youth Forum has been the opportunity for youth organisations and Council of Europe representatives to review best practices and lessons learned from the regional examples of youth rights-based legal instruments (the Ibero-American Convention on the Rights of Youth and the African Youth Charter).

Peter Matjašič, President of the European Youth Forum stated “The debate and discussions aimed at adopting a real rights-based approach is needed. However, we must push for action. International organisations and governments must adopt this approach in order to foster young people’s autonomy!”.

Throughout the debate, participants analysed the gaps and strengths of the current human rights framework for youth; shared examples of how treaty monitoring bodies and special procedures mandates integrate youth rights into their work; considered elements in existing legislation, policies and practice at the national level which recognize and protect the rights of youth; and discussed different measures aimed at improving the young people access to their rights and at pushing forward a rights-based approach in the Council of Europe, starting from the proposals coming from the Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 2015 (2013).

Background information:

Autonomy is pertinent for young people to lead the independent lives they are often expected to lead. Currently, there is no specific legal framework encompassing all rights and responsibilities of young people in Europe.

Following a European Youth Forum initiative, a motion on the need for a Convention on the Rights of Young People was tabled in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in July 2009. The report on the issue has since been drafted by Ms Elvira Kovacs from the PACE Sub-Committee on Youth. The report was previously debated in the June Session of the PACE and on the 24th June 2011 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe approved the Recommendation 1978 (2011) “Towards a European framework convention on youth rights”.

Following the failure of the Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth, held in September 2012 and the opinions expressed by young people during the Youth event and the Youth Assembly held last year, the PACE decided to put again the Youth Rights high in the agenda of the Council of Europe and adopted on the 25 April the Recommendation 2015 (2013) "Young people's access to fundamental rights", pushing for a real rights-based approach to youth policy and a renewed commitment towards the promotion of youth rights.

Unfortunately, several governments of the Council of Europe Member States have expressed in the framework of different bodies negative positions regarding the possibility of having a binding legal instrument to strengthen the rights of young people. However they expressed a genuine interest in discussing different measures to improve the access of young people to their rights including innovative non legal instruments and a better use of the existing international legal tools.