The fundamental social rights of the citizens of the member states of the Council of Europe are guaranteed by the European Social Charter and its collective complaints mechanism. As a legal instrument, the Charter refers to young people as having certain rights, notably in terms of education, health and housing. There are still significant disparities, however, in the way these rights are implemented, which is why the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has adopted a report on this issue, presented on 3 April 2019 by the co-rapporteurs Liisa ANSALA (Finland, ILDG) and Piero FASSINO (Italy, SOC).

In order to ensure that young people’s social rights are respected in practice, the Congress calls on local and regional authorities, as bodies which have competences in the social field, to consider these rights a priority for their policies. Member states are invited to ratify the Social Charter, to accept the collective complaints procedures and to involve local and regional authorities in the Social Charter monitoring mechanism. The Congress also emphasises the importance of raising youth awareness through various initiatives and co-ordinating actions at all levels of governance.

In the context of the Congress initiative "Rejuvenating Politics", youth delegates were invited to speak during the debate.

Produced in response to a request from the youth delegates, this report is a continuation of the Congress’s efforts to improve youth integration, participation and engagement at local and regional levels. Since 2014, the Congress has been committed to promoting youth participation, in particular through the “Rejuvenating politics” initiative. Youth delegates from the 47 member states are invited to participate in the debates and to exchange views with Congress members on the issues on session agendas.

• Report CG36(2019)12
• European Social Charter (Revised)
  List of youth delegates to the 36th Congress Session
• Speeches by:

- Presentation by Liisa ANSALA (Finland, ILDG), Congress o-rapporteur
- Presentation by Piero FASSINO (Italy, SOC), Congress co-rapporteur.

• Mediabox Interviews

• Videos of the debate: Lisa ANSALA & Sophia KIRCHER

*** 36th Session of the Congress ***

File 36th Session - Agenda - Videos and photos - Mediabox

Creating inclusive societies takes work and commitment from all levels of government and civil society. However, as Europe’s cities become increasingly diverse places, there is a particularly special role for local authorities, stated Congress President, Leendert Verbeek, at the 2022 Mayors Summit against Antisemitism, on 1 December 2022 in Athens, Greece.

"It is up to mayors and local authorities to create the sense of security by tackling discrimination, antisemitism and xenophobia and by instead creating spaces for respectful and constructive dialogue", underlined President Verbeek, recalling that citizen’s trust is essential in strengthening democracy and can only be achieved when all groups feel free and safe to participate in public life.

“In the context of rising hostility, the Congress has been working hard to look at how local politicians can build inclusive towns and cities where citizens of all backgrounds can feel safe and welcome”, said Verbeek, presenting the tools and work developed by the Congress. Among them is a toolkit to promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue at the local level, a report exploring the role for local authorities in the protection of Jewish cemeteries as well as human rights handbooks.  More recently, during its October 2022 session, the Congress adopted a report on the impact of hate speech and fake news on the working conditions of local elected representatives.

Furthermore, the Congress President stressed the responsibility of mayors, city councillors and regional representatives in the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and, in particular, SDG11 “Sustainable cities and communities” which calls for inclusive and sustainable urbanization, with a focus on citizen’s participation. “We can all contribute our share in making our cities more inclusive, safe and sustainable for all by continuing to work together and share innovative ways of working,”, he concluded.

On the occasion of his presence in Athens, President Verbeek had a a series of meetings with Greek authorities.

Speech by Leendert Verbeek