Council of Europe/Sandro Weltin                                 

 Young refugees, asylum seekers and migrants after the age of 18 are particularly vulnerable, because of the overnight change in their legal status and the loss of the rights and protection that they previously enjoyed as children. Their human rights protection and inclusion is key for the cohesion of the host societies and deserves a special focus.

At the Council of Europe level, the protection of this group has long been identified as a priority area for its work.

On 24 April 2019, the  Committee of Ministers adopted Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)4:  Supporting young refugees in transition to adulthood (the Recommendation). It provides, among others, guidance to member states on various key areas related to transition to adulthood including access to social services, accommodation and welfare benefits; access to education, vocational training and the labour market; and access to health care and psychological support.  In May 2021, the Committee of Ministers adopted the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025), which foresees activities to promote the practical implementation of the Recommendation. The Youth Department developed a Guide which simplifies the language of the Recommendation and assists different actors to develop a better and clearer understanding of the proposals and policy measures.

In parallel with the work of the Youth Department, in January 2022, the Council of Europe started implementing the multilateral project “Building Futures, Sharing Good Practices: Migrant Children’s Transition to Adulthood – UACFutures”, which aims to foster long-term improvements in the quality of support provided to unaccompanied migrant children during their transition to adulthood.

The comprehensive work and tools developed by the Council of Europe create, therefore, the circumstances and open space for dialogue and exchange on effectively supporting the transition of young refugees and migrants to adulthood.