Intergovernmental programme
Conferences of European Ministers responsible for Youth
The 9th Conference of ministers responsible for youth was held in St Petersburg from 23-25 September 2012 on invitation of the government of the Russian Federation.
(The documents on this conference, as well as the eight previous ones are available in the table below)
The main theme of the conference was “Young people’s access to rights: development of innovative youth policies”. The objectives were:
A youth event on the main theme of the conference was held on 22 and 23 September prior to the conference. It was organised jointly by the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ), the European Youth Forum and the National Youth Council of Russia and brought together some 150 youth representatives.
Half a day was entirely given over to three parallel working sessions (panels) to discuss the following topics:
The working sessions took into consideration the main theme of the conference “Young people’s access to rights: development of innovative youth policies”. The discussions also offered an opportunity to share concrete examples of good practice.
In spite of an agreement among member states on most of the content of the draft Final Declaration of the Conference, it proved impossible to arrive at a consensus on a draft Final Declaration. The only controversial point was whether to include, or not, an explicit reference to “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in the list of reasons for discriminatory practices against young people. A proposal for compromise consisting of including in the draft Final Declaration a reference to a Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers dealing with this specific issue (CM/Rec (2010)5) could not be agreed upon by all the member states.
The first European Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth took place in Strasbourg in 1985. Together with the European Youth Week, the Conference was a highlight of the Council of Europe's contribution to the International Youth Year – one of the memorable events of this year in Europe.
Since then, Ministers have met periodically (Oslo 1987, Lisbon 1990, Vienna 1993, Bucharest 1998 and Thessaloniki 2002) to exchange views and co-ordinate national youth policies, and recommend joint action at European level, particularly in the areas of youth mobility, participation, information and advice and research.
The theme of the fourth Conference (Vienna, April 1993) was, in view of the upheavals that had taken place, "Youth in the Greater Europe".
In 1995, a first informal meeting of European ministers responsible for youth was held in Luxembourg on "Appraisal of and prospects for youth work at the Council of Europe". Co-operation with INGYOs (International Non-Governmental Youth Organisations) which co-operate with the European Youth Foundation and European Youth Centres is not only visible by their active role in conferences but also by their involvement in the evaluation of the said conferences. A close dialogue can be developed between the decision takers and those who are directly concerned.
9th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth |
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8th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth |
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7th Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth |
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6th Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth |
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5th Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth |
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Informal meeting of European ministers responsible for youth |
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4th Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth |
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3rd Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth |
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2nd Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth |
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1st Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth |
