Promoting youth participation in decision-making became the main topic of the round table “Youth. Ukraine. Europe. Implementation of the Youth Perspective in Ukraine”.
The event took place on 4 June 2026 at the Vinnytsia Regional Youth Centre “Kvadrat”. The event was organised by the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase IV” in co-operation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.
The round table brought together young people, representatives of national and regional youth councils, international organisations, civil society and experts on youth policy, including participants in training on Council of Europe approaches in the youth sector.
The participants of the round table emphasized the implementation of the youth perspective as a strategic approach based on youth participation in decision-making; emphasized the importance of taking into account the experiences of different young people and expanding partnerships. Proposals were voiced to develop programmes for the return of young people from abroad, support for young IDPs, veterans, strengthen the introduction of a trauma-informed approach in youth work, strengthen the information campaign on opportunities to participate in policy-making and fight against propaganda, expand international co-operation and exchanges that affect the strength of Ukrainian youth work, and others.
The history of youth councils under the central authorities in Ukraine is unique and needs to be strengthened, emphasized Oleksandr Sanchenko, member of Parliament of Ukraine, co-chairman of the Council on youth affairs under the President of Ukraine.
Maciej Janczak, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, underlined the long-term partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the public sector. He emphasized the importance of the project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine” for the development of participatory youth policy.
Volodymyr Khadzhynov, Head of the Youth policy division of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, called for support for national youth councils, noted the role of Council of Europe exercises and trainings in the development of youth and youth perspective.
Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe, noted the stable partnership relations with Ukraine, raised the issue of the methodology for the implementation of the youth perspective, the importance of taking into account the needs of young people and supporting veterans, as well as young people from Ukraine abroad. He also invited to strengthen solidarity and exchange of experience between the youth of Ukraine and Europe, as well as support for civil society organisations at various levels.
Iryna Kotsiubivska, Deputy Head of the Vinnytsia Regional Military Administration, emphasized the responsibility of young people for the future structure of the democratic world, emphasized the growth of the level of youth policy in Ukraine and the importance of discussing the return of young people from abroad.
Following the round table, the participants emphasized the need to take into account the proposed ideas and proposals in the new Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine, and use the developments to improve the activities of the youth sector in Ukraine.
In addition, from 2 to 4 June 2026 at the Vinnytsia Regional Youth Centre “Kvadrat” passed exhibition of projects of young people and youth organisations from Ukraine “Stories of the Brave”, funded by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.
The Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase IV” was launched within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026. More information about the project, including news, youth resources and open calls for participation in the project, can be found here.
