The Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Oleksiy Dniprov, held an online meeting with representatives of international and Ukrainian expert organizations who are part of the International Expert Group on the implementation of the National Youth Strategy until 2030 and relevant initiatives included in the action plan for the post-war reconstruction and development of Ukraine.
Dniprov congratulated and thanked the participants of the online meeting, who expressed their desire to jointly develop effective mechanisms for the implementation of the National Youth Strategy until 2030 in the conditions of the full-scale Russian aggression.
"I am sincerely glad to welcome you all to the meeting today, because this is the beginning of a large-scale youth history with regards to involvement and extraordinary significance for our country, which, despite the active and bloody resistance to the Russian aggressor, continues implementing reforms, modernizing and changing moving towards democracy, freedom and unity with the civilized European and the world community," the deputy head of the President's Office said.
For their part, international experts, in particular Howard Williamson, professor of European Youth Policy at the University of South Wales, thanked for inviting them. They assured of their readiness to share their knowledge and experience so that the activities of the expert group were as positive as possible for young Ukrainians who take direct part in countering the Russian enemy or were forced to leave Ukraine, saving their lives.
At the same time, international experts emphasized that the National Youth Strategy should take into account the impact of war and hostilities on young people, because these are completely atypical challenges and experiences that young people from European countries do not have, and these challenges require appropriate and coordinated work.
The expert on long-term strategies, Yevhen Hlibovytsky, said that the process of preparing the National Youth Strategy until 2030 was based on the principle of inclusiveness, primarily for young Ukrainians. That is why one of the priorities, atypical for the strategies of other European countries, is security. It provides for the creation of a safe environment in order to strengthen the resilience of young people. For the state of Ukraine, the principles of barrier-free and accessibility during the development and implementation of regulatory acts remain a priority despite large-scale Russian aggression.
The participants in the meeting agreed on the calendar of work and on the next profile meetings, which will allow to work out each of the priorities of the strategic document, as well as to propose new modern approaches to the implementation of the state youth policy.
The international working group brought together representatives of governmental, scientific, and expert circles from such countries as the United States of America, the UK, Poland, Lithuania, Georgia, North Macedonia, Albania, and Sweden.
Representatives of the Council on Youth Affairs under the President of Ukraine, government officials, members of parliament, volunteers, youth workers and the public, which directly participates in the development and implementation of state youth policy in Ukraine joined the group from Ukraine.
The online meeting was held at the initiative of the Council on Youth Affairs under the President of Ukraine and with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Office Ukraine.