On 24 April 2019, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers adopted a recommendation advocating that member States should provide additional temporary support after the age of 18 to young refugees to enable them to access their rights.

“It is in the best interest of all of us to enhance the social inclusion of young refugees to make sure they are active members of society and contribute to the improvement of their own situations and those of their host communities. I am pleased to have contributed to the first Council of Europe recommendation in assisting young refugees in their transition to adulthood. It is an effective way of tackling radicalisation and building inclusive societies”, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on migration and refugees, (SRSG) Tomáš Boček said.

In this recommendation, the Committee of Ministers expressed its deep concern about the young refugees who are among the most vulnerable groups facing continuing risk of violation of their human rights and fundamental freedoms. This situation is particularly difficult for those who are not accompanied or have been separated from their families, and for young refugee women.

This recommendation was originally proposed by the Joint Council on Youth and constitutes the youth sector’s contribution to the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Refugee and Migrant Children in Europe (2017-2019). The recommendation will be implemented in the framework of the Council of Europe “Youth for Democracy” programme.