In the 10th year of the Rejuvenating Politics initiative, a high number of youth delegates are once again taking part in the work of the Congress. Following a rigorous selection process involving over 400 candidates, 43 youth delegates from the same number of Council of Europe member states have been selected for 2024.

As youth delegates, they had the opportunity to play an active part in the 46th Congress Session, held from 26 to 28 March. They were able to take the floor during meetings of the Congress' three committees and to express their views during several debates in plenary sessions, notably on the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine, the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe, local and regional responses to natural disasters and climatic hazards, artificial intelligence, the role of local and regional authorities as guarantors of the rule of law, and the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in several countries on the continent. They were also able to question high-level guests such as the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces and the Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein, representing the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, in plenary session.

The speeches given by several youth delegates during the sessions of the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions were also highlights of their participation. Each of these speeches was prepared collectively and delivered by a delegate designated by their group. At a time of great uncertainty about the future, the words of youth delegates brought new perspectives and shed valuable light on issues such as interculturality and diversity, the environment and the increasing scarcity of services of general interest in rural areas (see below for the full speeches).

In the coming months, the youth delegates will invest still further in local democracy: in addition to the participation of several of them in a variety of events organised by the Congress, the Council of Europe or external partners, each youth delegate will develop a project in their municipality to promote the values and activities of the Congress, the highlights of which will be presented in plenary during the 47th Session in October.

 Speech by Afia Mansoor AHMED, youth delegate from Germany - Intercultural regions: embracing diversity

 Speech by Debora GONÇALVES, youth delegate from Portugal - Right to water under threat: what is at stake for territories?

 Speech by Maria Virginia ILIUTA, youth delegate from Spain - Exodus Of General Services From Rural And Peripheral Areas

 Speech by Liana Liu IOANNIDES, youth delegate from Cyprus - Environment: What responsibility do local authorities have?

 Mediabox interview of Jack O’CONNOR, youth delegate from Ireland

 Mediabox interview of the participation of Liana Liu IOANNIDES, youth delegate from Cyprus