Youth policy cooperation

In 2005 the Youth Partnership between the Council of Europe and the European Commission, together with several national and regional partners, initiated a process of youth policy cooperation in the broader Euro-Mediterranean region aimed at fostering greater cooperation between stakeholders of youth policy.

The process started in Alexandria in 2005, with the seminar “Youth Policy Here and Now”, co-organised with the Swedish Institute of Alexandria and the Swedish Board of Youth Affairs. It was developed in Cairo in 2006, with an international round-table “Youth policy and research development in the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation framework”, organised at the invitation of the League of Arab States, the Swedish Institute in Alexandria and the Youth Partnership between the Council of Europe and European Commission on youth policy.

Among others, the process of youth policy cooperation has significantly contributed to recognize that cooperation among institutions responsible for youth policy (public and private) is an essential dimension to intercultural dialogue and to the Euro-med projects in which young people take part.

The youth policy activities have also resulted, undoubtedly, in an enlargement of partnerships and cooperation with a variety of institutions concerned by Euro-Mediterranean and Euro-Arab cooperation, including the League of Arab States. In this respect, the Partnership is also playing a leading and innovative role.

• Second international roundtable "Youth Policy Cooperation in the Broader Euro-Mediterranean Context" - European Youth Centre Budapest, 22 and 23 April 2009

  Agenda of the round table and documents presented by the participants.

• Survey on the evaluation and follow-up of the Euro-Mediterranean Youth Policy Co-operation activities

           by Ayman Abdul Majeed and Dua’a Qurie (consultants)

Read the Executive report

• Euro-Med seminar “The role of youth participation and civil society in youth policy and youth work development in the broader Euro-Med context” European Youth Centre Budapest, 24 - 27 October 2007

This was the third seminar in a Euro-Med cooperation about youth policy development which started during 2004. It was aimed to explore underpinning values, concepts, principles and forms of youth participation, to better understand socio-cultural context of youth participation and reflect on various factors influencing youth participation, to exchange examples of youth participation practice, analyse achievements and challenges related to it, to discuss the roles of the different actors  (youth organisations, international/regional institutions and agencies) in fostering youth participation in all areas that young people are concerned by, to identify areas in Euro-Med cooperation, which are key for youth participation and youth policy development, as well as to plan follow-up initiatives enhancing youth participation (in political processes) and concrete ways in which young people can contribute to intercultural dialogue.
The seminar brought together young leaders, youth workers and trainers, youth researchers as well as youth policy makers with experience in working on youth participation in decision making.

Presentation       Programme      List of participants 

• Euro-Med seminar "The role of youth research in youth policy and youth work development in the broader the Euro-Med context"
  Cairo, Egypt, 27-30 November 2006

An opportunity for youth researchers, youth workers and governmental representatives to reflect together on the particular role of research in the development of youth policy in order to develop a process of exchange, mutual cooperation and joint actions between the fields of youth research, youth work and youth policy development. This seminar is the result of a cooperation between the Partnership on Youth and Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Council of Europe’s Directorate of Youth and Sport, the Egyptian National Youth Council, the League of Arab States, the Swedish Institute in Alexandria and the Swedish National Board of Youth affairs.
This seminar was designed for participants who are involved in youth research, youth work and youth policy development. Eligible participants belonged to one of the three categories the seminar was directed to, namely youth researchers, youth workers/youth NGO representatives and governmental representatives/civil servants.

Presentation             Programme            List of participants 

• International round table: "Youth policy and research development in the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation framework"
  Cairo, Egypt, 29 May 2006

As part of the follow-up process to the seminar on youth policy, this international round table brought together major intergovernmental, governmental and non-governmental partners in the fields of youth research and youth policy within the Euro-Mediterranean region with the aim to exchange experience and information and extend cooperation in the region. All partners acknowledged the need to associate researchers in the policy-making process and supported the idea to organise a high level Euro-Med conference dealing with youth policy cooperation.

Report of the round table            List of participants 

• Seminar "Youth policy here and now"
  Alexandria, Egypt, 11-15 September 2005

This was the first Euro-Med activity on youth policy with the view to exchange experiences and current practices in Europe and Middle East countries in the field of Youth Policy and Youth participation. It was organised in co-operation with the Swedish Institute in Alexandria, the Swedish Board for Youth Affairs and the Ministry of Youth of Egypt.

Presentation of the seminar                     Programme
     List of participants                                 Press release 

Quality development and support to Euro-Med youth work