"Youth engagement and critical eye are key to the democratic future of our countries. You have the power to change their course; use it well," said Tanja Gonggrijp, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, addressing the participants of the conference with the title Educate. Engage. Empower. Youth Shaping Democracy at the Hungarian National Assembly in Budapest today. The event brought together youth representatives, parliamentarians and experts to explore ways of strengthening democratic participation among the young.
Last week, Hungary marked seventy years since the revolution of 1956, Deputy Secretary General reminded. In November 1990, Hungary became the first country of the former Eastern bloc to join the Council of Europe. In 1995, the European Youth Centre in Budapest opened its doors to young people from all over Europe. However, in today's Europe, this optimism has given way to frustration: all over Europe, young people are protesting. They want better education, a lower cost of living, access to healthcare and an end to corruption. Many feel that democracy has turned away from them.
“Yet democratic decline is not a fate - democracy can recover, “ stressed Gonggrijp. “On Sunday, young people in Serbia showed how. Two years after the railway canopy collapsed in Novi Sad, the students who took to the streets turned their protest into a majority. They have sent a message of hope to all of Europe. Here in Hungary, you sent your own message this spring."
Recovery cannot succeed without the younger generations, but they should not be alone: older generations should take responsibility and find a common language and direction with them. "That responsibility begins with how we answer the young people in the streets, " said the Deputy Secretary General.
"The temptation will be to reply with security alone, but the better answer is to listen and to act on what we hear." "This is what the New Democratic Pact for Europe is for - an open process, not a text for governments alone, with the voices of young people at its heart. With the Pact, we do not want to reinvent democracy - we want to strengthen its foundations and make it tangible for everyone. Today we are here to engage and to listen – and until 12 November, anyone can take part in our citizens’ consultation and tell us what needs to change for democracy to work better for them and for you,” the Deputy Secretary General stressed.
The event is organised by Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe together with the Hungarian National Assembly. Ágnes Forsthoffer, Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, Petra Bayr, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and Judit Lannert, Hungarian Minister of Education and Children’s Affairs also spoke at the opening of the conference.
Take part in the citizens’ consultation on democracy
Read the opening speech of the Youth Shaping Democracy Conference
