The European Youth Conference, co-organised by the Council of Europe and the city of Braga, Portugal, with the support of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, on 5-7 February 2025 has discussed how a revised Charter on the participation of young people in local and regional life could effectively strengthen youth democratic engagement. Aida Karimli, Congress rapporteur on the revision of the Charter and Regional Councillor of Götaland, Sweden, presented some of the milestones and the inclusive character of the revision process. She spoke alongside Eva Kotnik from the Council of Europe’s Advisory Council on Youth and Riccardo Venturini from the European Steering Committee for Youth.

Ms Karimli acknowledged the many good practices, quality of work done, and new ideas shared so far, especially thanks to the experience of the many youth activists present. She underlined that trust between youth and local and regional authorities is key to advancing youth participation, with everyone working together. She also reminded that “youth participation is not a gift or something to be granted when convenient, but a fundamental right for young people”.

For more information on the conference, please look at the following news item Young people in local and regional life: Democracy in action! - Youth