On 23 June 2021, the Youth Department of the Council of Europe organised an informal meeting with young refugees and refugee-led youth organisations on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the World Refugee Day.

The meeting marked the current work of the youth organisations tackling the challenges faced by young refugees, in particular in connection to COVID-19 pandemic and the post-Covid recovery. The participants discussed the priorities and agendas of the youth/refugee-led organisations on social inclusion of young refugees and invited for closer co-operation with the Council of Europe. Chaired by Zuzana Pavelková, member of the Advisory Council on Youth, the meeting took note of the results of Apart Together research which assessed the public health social impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on refugees and migrants. The study highlighted the group of 20-30 years old migrants and refugees as particularly hit by the pandemic: worrying news about deterioration in mental health, loss of any support systems and connections or students facing dire difficulties to survive due to, for example, closing of university restaurants.

The consultation and communication with refugee-led youth organisations will continue in 2021 with the view to best represent their experiences in the Youth for Democracy programme, notably about the role of youth work.