The Joint Council on Youth (CMJ) brings together the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ) and the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ).  It is a co-decision-making body which establishes the youth sector's priorities, objectives and budgets.

This is the supreme decision and policy-making body for the Council of Europe’s governmental and non-governmental partners in the Youth Department. It is composed of all of the members of the CDEJ and all of the members of the Advisory Council.

The task of the Joint Council, in a spirit of co-management, is to develop a shared position on the youth sector’s overall priorities, annual/pluriannual objectives, main budget envelopes and necessary budget specifications, within the political and budgetary framework established by the Committee of Ministers.  It also contributes to the effective mainstreaming of youth policies into the Council of Europe's programme of activities.

The CDEJ and CCJ Bureaux meet together twice a year in order to prepare the CMJ’s meetings, to ensure continuity between meetings, as well as to deal with any other tasks delegated to them by CMJ.

A major task for the 2018-19 biennium was to evaluate the implementation of Resolution CM/Res(2008)23 on the youth policy of the Council of Europe and to develop a new strategic document on its youth policy for the period 2020-30.  You can follow this work on the page on the youth sector's strategy 2030.

The Joint Council's tasks in relation to the three priorities for 2020-21 are as follows:

Access to rights:

• the Joint Council will support young people’s access to rights and advocate for human rights and citizenship education by promoting the implementation of relevant Committee of Ministers' standards, in particular the recommendations on young people’s access to rights; on the access of young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods to social rights (Enter!); on the Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education. It will also continue to identify and remedy the effects of shrinking civic space on young people and youth organisations;

Youth participation and youth work:

• the Joint Council will support youth participation and youth work as a way of increasing the possibilities for all young people to contribute actively to society in their living environment. This will be done by promoting the implementation of relevant standards, including the recommendations on youth work, and the Revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, and by further disseminating the “Have your say” manual to public authorities and the non-governmental sector. In addition, the development of youth work and recognition of non-formal education will be supported through the use of the Council of Europe instruments, notably the Quality Label for Youth Centres and the Youth Work Portfolio.

Inclusive and peaceful societies:

• the Joint Council will support young people’s capacities to promote peaceful and inclusive societies,by providing them with opportunities to play an active role in intercultural dialogue/learning, in peacebuilding and conflict transformation, in challenging the rise of nationalism and populism, in co-operation with neighbouring and other world regions. The Joint Council will also promote social inclusion, fostering active participation, gender equality and combating all forms of discrimination on the grounds of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights taking an intersectional approach – with a specific focus on Roma youth and other minority groups, young refugees and their transition from childhood to adulthood, young people with disabilities; LGBTQI young people and young women and girls.

You can follow the Joint Council on Youth's work on these pages and also by consulting the latest decisions and abridged reports.