On the occasion of the Youth Day, representatives of national youth organisations and youth advisory bodies in Ukraine got acquainted with the activities of the Council of Europe in the youth sector of Ukraine. On 5 July 2025 in Kyiv together with representatives of the projects of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine and the Register of Damage for Ukraine, they discussed ideas for co-operation.
Hilde Haug, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, emphasized the support for Ukraine within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026. She reaffirmed the commitment of the Council of Europe to strengthening participatory youth policy and youth work in Ukraine, taking into account the specific needs of young people at a time of the war. She also highlighted the importance of coming together and find spaces to discuss youth related issues, including the challenges they face during wartime. Continuing developing youth policy and work with youth in an inclusive manner which gives them a voice about their future remains as important as ever.
The Youth Day at the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine is the first of its kind and it offered a unique networking opportunity for several projects within the Council of Europe Ukraine working on youth related issues, the Register, as well as for youth organisations and youth councils. The event became a space for integrating the youth perspective into the activities of the Council of Europe in accordance with the Reykjavik Declaration.
During the meeting, the participants discussed topical issues, in particular the needs of young internally displaced persons, the development of youth councils, school and student self-government bodies, ways to establish effective co-operation between local authorities and young people.
The participants discussed the contribution of the Council of Europe to strengthening youth policy and youth work at the local, regional and national levels. In particular, they discussed the implementation of the projects “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase IV”, “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine's recovery”, “Facilitating access to human rights and essential services for internally displaced persons and returnees at the community level”, “Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in Ukraine – Phase II” and the Register of Damages for Ukraine.
The Council of Europe implements these and other projects with partners within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026.
More about the activities of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine can be found here.
More about the activities of the Register of Losses for Ukraine can be found here.
