07/05/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/05/2022 03:10
The Council of Europe's Youth Action Week concluded on Friday 1 July 2022 with a presentation by the participants of a call for action directed to national governments to step up the actions and policies to revitalise democracy with the participation of young people. The 450 young people who took part emphasised the need for public authorities to live up to their commitments and to effectively engage young people in "democratising democracy".
The role of education for democratic citizenship and human rights is central to seriously involving younger generations and entrusting them with improving democratic processes. The participants also recalled that a democratic culture should guarantee diversity of opinions and possibility of dissent and peaceful protest, and that conflicts in a democratic society ought to be resolved by non-violent means.
The 50-point call for action, corresponding to the 50 years of the Council of Europe's youth sector, is centred around the four main themes of the Youth Action week and includes, but is not limited to, the following recommendations.
Revitalising democracy and access to rights:
Meaningful youth participation:
Digitalisation:
Peacebuilding:
The final text of the 50-point call for action will be available on the Youth Sector's website by Friday 8 July.