PRISTINA – RYCO Secretary General Mr Albert Hani and the newly appointed RYCO Deputy Secretary General Mr Denis Piplaš and the Youth Representative of Kosovo in the RYCO Governing Board Mr Edis Prapashtica had a meeting in Pristina with young leaders and activists from Kosovo on Tuesday, 21 September.
Mr Hani and Mr Piplaš met with young leaders from different civil society organizations and young activists in Kosovo, with the purpose of discussing the challenges that they face in their work for youth empowerment.
Young leaders from different backgrounds presented their work and also shared their future plans and ideas of how RYCO can support them in the upcoming years. They emphasized the need for RYCO to also facilitate internal cooperation between divided communities in Kosovo and not just focus on regional cooperation.
Furthermore, they congratulated RYCO for the amazing opportunities provided to young people of the Western Balkans and for creating bridges of intercultural cooperation between youth in the region.
Mr Hani and Mr Piplaš emphasized to the young leaders that RYCO incorporates youth perspectives in its work and mission and that they can count on RYCO’s support to raise awareness about the obstacles that youth face in Kosovo and the region.
“For RYCO to have the best results on the ground, it is very important to hear directly from young people on where our focus should be, so I am very honored that I have the chance to meet you and hear about the great work that you are doing and I’m looking forward to discussing on how we can do better to support you,” Mr Hani underlined.
Youth leaders thanked the RYCO Secretary General and the RYCO Deputy Secretary General for initiating the meeting on their first official visit to Kosovo, and for the opportunity to speak openly about issues that concern the youth.
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*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.