On 14 and 15 January 2025, the youth sector information visit to London explored how to strengthen co-operation with the Council of Europe.
The visit aimed to foster co-operation and dialogue with policymakers and youth civil society representatives from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Jan Vanhee, the member of the European Steering Committee for Youth and Maurizio Cuttin, vice-chair of the Advisory Council on Youth shared information about Council of Europe youth policy standards. Representatives from government and youth civil society across all four nations of the UK participated in an information session at Flanders House, Belgian embassy to the UK, focusing on shared goals and opportunities in youth work.
Furthermore, the meetings took place with the Department for Culture, Media, and Sports (DCMS), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). In an exchange with the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) at Westminster Palace, Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the Youth Department, briefed on the Council of Europe’s work on fostering youth participation in democratic processes and tackling contemporary challenges faced by young people.
This information visit underscores the shared commitment of the Council of Europe and the United Kingdom to empowering young people and advancing their role in shaping democratic, inclusive societies across Europe.
