Young leaders discuss innovative forms of political participation and social activism in OSCE region

Young politicians, journalists, civil servants, civil society and media representatives from Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the South Caucasus discussed the use of technology in fostering young people’s political participation in the OSCE region at the second Youth Leadership Forum, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 13 and 14 November 2014.

More than 40 young leaders from 13 OSCE participating States shared experiences and analyzed how new technologies can foster social activism, as they formulated recommendations on ways to overcome challenges to youth political participation.

“Young people are increasingly engaged in new forms of political participation, which demonstrates that it is not their lack of interest that keeps them out of decision-making structures in political life,” said Thomas Vennen, Head of the ODIHR Democratization Department. “This forum provides an opportunity for young leaders to formulate mechanisms by which those discussions can find their way into traditional political structures.”

Andriy Shevchenko, a journalist and a former member of the Ukrainian parliament, said: “Youth play a crucial role in shaping the political agenda and fostering democratic transition, even more so when they use new technologies as tools of social activism. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to build the abilities of youth activists and foster regional co-operation among young leaders.”

The Youth Leadership Forum was organized within the framework of ODIHR’s Democratic Governance programme and complements the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship’s 2015 priorities on youth – in particular, its OSCE Youth Model project – as well as ongoing efforts in developing an OSCE Youth Action Plan.