A set of practical tools aimed at helping young migrants and refugees in their transition to adulthood was launched on 18 April by the Office of the SRSG on Migration and Refugees, the Youth Department, the Co-operation Programmes Division – Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law, with the support of the Icelandic Presidency of the Committee of Ministers and the participation of Iceland’s Minister of Education and Children, Ásmundur Einar Daðason.
Addressing the event* at the European Youth Centre , entitled “Turning 18 with Confidence: Supporting Migrant and Refugee Children in transition to Adulthood”, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), Leyla Kayacik, acknowledged the resilience of this specific group of young people aging out of child protection, and reaffirmed the Council of Europe’s commitment to supporting them in their transition to adulthood, in line with its standards. “Their well-being and successful inclusion are key to the cohesion of host societies and deserve a special focus”, she stated.
Minister Daðason highlighted that although “We normally define childhood up until the age of 18, it is of utmost importance that we as governments continue our support beyond that age, strengthening our systems in co-operation and conversation with the young people themselves. There is no magic transition that happens on a person´s 18th birthday, young people are still the same persons as they were the day before. Therefore, we need to make sure that sensitivity to this fact is an integral part of how governments think, act and prioritise.”
As part of the activites under the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025) , the event presented a practical guide on the implementation of the Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation (CM/Rec (2019)4) and the Roadmap to Adulthood and other tools developed in the framework of the Council of Europe multilateral project “Building Futures, Sharing Good Practices: Migrant Children’s Transition to Adulthood – UACFutures”.
The international launching event gathered more than a hundred participants, who exchanged experience, drew inspiration from good practices and tools, and improved their knowledge and capacity to help migrant and refugee children along their path to adulthood. In this context, the Youth Department also organised a workshop with young refugees and youth workers at the European Youth Centre from 17 to 19 April.
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(*) This Event is co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Council of Europe.