BELGRADE – Head of the RYCO Local Branch Office in Serbia Ms Ivana Antonijević attended a roundtable discussion with the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Ms Ann Linde and representatives of the civil society in the field of youth, which took place on Tuesday, 25 May 2021.
The event was organized at the premises of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and was attended by Researcher Mr Boban Stojanović, Representative of the National Youth Council of Serbia Ms Milica Borjanić, Representative of Kvinna till Kvinna Ms Tamara Smidling and Representative of the Center for Democracy Foundation Ms Nataša Vučković.
The key topics discussed during the event were the overall position and needs of youth in Serbia, gender equality, youth engagement and social dialogue. Ms Antonijević took this opportunity to present the work of RYCO as well as the opportunities that this regional mechanism offers to youth in the Western Balkans for enhanced mobility and exchange, cooperation and capacity building.
During the discussion, Ms Linde emphasized the importance of youth activism and active participation in decision-making processes.
“Young people must also remain engaged if they want to affect the development of their community. Civic education can play a significant role in helping young people understand how democratic institutions work. Given the importance of youth and the cross-cutting nature of the challenges facing them, we have to continue investing in them across all of its programmes,” Ms Linde underlined.
The event concluded the visit of Ms Linde to Serbia, after she met with the President of Serbia Mr Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister Ms Ana Brnabić and Foreign Affairs Minister Mr Nikola Selaković, as well as with the Speaker of the National Assembly Mr Ivica Dačić.
Photo Credits: Milan Obradovic