BELGRADE – The Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) and the National Youth Council of Serbia (KOMS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 12 February, and made a significant step forward in mutual recognition and cooperation. The MoU was signed by the RYCO Secretary General Mr Đuro Blanuša and the Secretary General of KOMS Mr Stefan Đorđević.
KOMS was established in 2011 as the highest independent representative body of youth in Serbia. From 2012, it has been a member of the European Youth Forum and from 2020 the only officially recognized umbrella organization of youth according to the Law on Youth in Serbia. It gathers 109 member organizations, those of youth and for youth.
RYCO, its Local Branch Office in Serbia and KOMS have been maintaining good relationships and cooperation from the moment RYCO was founded. In addition, KOMS was also involved in the establishment process of RYCO and actively contributed to it.
Furthermore, KOMS participates in the selection of the Youth Representative of Serbia in the RYCO Governing Board upon the agreement with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Serbia. With the signed MoU with RYCO, KOMS will strive to ensure even better representation of young people from Serbia in RYCO’s structures and activities, thus raising RYCO’s visibility and presence among them.
RYCO and KOMS share the same values and principles concerning youth participation and youth empowerment. Both parties have been promoting and supporting the active participation of youth in decision-making processes as well as strengthening the capacities of young people and other relevant stakeholders. KOMS is also an important actor in the regional youth cooperation and youth mainstreaming in the Western Balkans.
During the signing of the MoU, it was emphasized that youth cooperation and youth mainstreaming will remain the focus of the future partnership between RYCO and KOMS with even more joint efforts invested in fostering youth participation and regional networking of youth structures.
