The 21st RYCO Governing Board (GB) meeting, organized under the Chairmanship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, took place on 6th of December, gathering governments and youth representatives from WB6 to discuss and evaluate RYCO’s results and set the plans for the upcoming period. Meeting marked the end of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Chairmanship of the RYCO GB, as in 2025 Kosovo* will assume this role. The meeting was organized in hybrid format, providing members with the opportunity to attend it through an online conferencing platform.
Meeting was opened by the Chair of RYCO GB, Advisor to chairwoman-Council of Ministers-Office of Chairwoman, Ivan Ćubela, and Co-chair of RYCO Governing Board, Youth Representative in the GB, Zorana Tovilović Glavaš, who welcomed GB members and moderated meeting’s sessions accordingly.
RYCO Secretary General, Albert Hani, in his opening remarks expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the Governing Board for their continuous support, especially in times of comprehensive institutional reforms, commending their commitment to upholding RYCO’s independence, resisting political influence, and fostering strong partnerships.
As this marks the final year of his tenure, SG Hani expressed his confidence in RYCO’s continued success and its ongoing commitment to empowering youth and fostering reconciliation in the region.
Several important topics were highlighted during the meeting.
- The new RYCO Strategy 2025 – 2027 as well as the RYCO Operational Plan presented both by the Head of Programs, Ms. Teodora Stolevska, were approved and adopted by the members of Governing Board. The new RYCO Strategic plan, aims to further contribute to that mission by enhancing regional cooperation among youth in Western Balkans
- Furthermore, the Supervision and Accountability Policy for the SG and DSG was presented by the SG and adopted by the GB members.
- Other important documents such as RYCO Budget 2025 and some updates on Financial Rules and Regulations were presented by the Head of Finance, Mr. Zoran Stefanovski. Both documents were as well approved and adopted by the GB members.
The meeting also served as an opportunity to introduce new youth representative of GB from Montenegro, Ms. Marija Markovic.
The Governing Board decides on key strategic documents for RYCO and is composed of one government representative for youth policies and one youth representative from each Contracting party, on an equal basis. Decisions of the Governing Board are taken by consensus.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.