New York –As part of a series of stakeholder meetings during his official trip to the United States, RYCO Secretary General Mr. Hani met with Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Mr. Felipe Paullier, at the UN Youth Office. Mr. Paullier, who was appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on October 27, 2023, is the first to hold this position, overseeing the UN’s Youth 2030 Strategy, a key document addressing the needs and rights of young people globally.
The purpose of these official meetings was to explore and identify potential partnerships and long-term synergies to further advance RYCO’s flagship programs. During his introduction, Mr. Hani highlighted RYCO’s unique role as an institutional mechanism for youth at the regional level, emphasizing its capacity to ensure coordination, representation, and synchronization of youth peacebuilding efforts across the region.
Mr. Paullier, recognizing the importance of these efforts, invited RYCO to explore various ways of cooperation to strengthen initiatives around the implementation of the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) Agenda.
Both parties expressed their commitment to follow up with another meeting to further refine their collaboration in advancing YPS efforts in the Western Balkans.