At its meeting in London on 20 – 21 October 2025, the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe elected three rapporteurs:
- Lord Michael German (United Kingdom, ALDE) as General Rapporteur on European migration and asylum policies
- Denis Begic (Sweden, SOC) for the report on “Facilitating economic recovery and resilience of Ukraine: from voluntary returns to enhanced co-operation and investment”
- Sena Nur Çelik Kanat (Türkiye, NR) for an opinion on “The deterioration of women’s rights in Afghanistan: a need for global response” (report to be prepared by the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination)
Also, five students in their late teens from the Central Foundations Schools in London addressed the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons on 20 October in the context of the report by Lord Leslie Griffiths (United Kingdom, SOC) on “The role of diasporas and migrants in building social cohesion and progress”.
Reflecting on their own experience as British citizens with a multicultural background (Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kosovo*), they insisted on the importance of representation and the sense of belonging as pillars for their civic engagement.
They also elaborated on the growing anti-migrant and racist narratives in the UK and beyond. This, coupled with the risks of stigmatisation deriving from generalisation or mere pieces of prejudice, is affecting them directly, impacting negatively on their safety across their community and as individuals, challenging their sense of belonging even. All in all, the feeling that they should constantly prove “their Britishness” challenged their sense of belonging in British society, to the extent that even positive images of some celebrities with a migration background are “a whisper in a loud ocean of hatred”, as one student put it.
Such deeply felt preoccupation echoed the structural obstacles and racism faced by the young people’s parents and grandparents.
In conclusion, Nana Anto-Awyakye, Engagement Coordinator at CAFOD, summed up the conversation by calling on policymakers to step up against the growing divisions making their way in society today. According to her, such steps cannot be taken “without the voices of those who should sit at the table”.
Arusyak Julhakyan (Armenia, EPP/CD), Youth Rapporteur for the committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons emphasised that parliamentarians “need to hear first-hand the problems from migrant young people who are subject to public policies” and on the importance of ensuring their effective participation in democracy.
As summed up by one of the students: “in the UK we have access to the idea of democracy a lot, as well a lot of pathways, but the biggest problem is the fact that it’s not spoken, promoted enough to young people that this is actually a huge part of our lives”.
*Throughout this document, all reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
