Strengthening democracies with young people: from participation to shared responsibility
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 28 January 2026 (5th sitting) (see Doc. 16308, report of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education
and Media, rapporteur: Ms Sona Ghazaryan; and Doc. 16332, opinion of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy,
rapporteur: Ms Elisabetta Gardini). Text
adopted by the Assembly on 28 January 2026 (5th sitting).See
also Recommendation 2302
(2026).
1. The effective participation of
young people in democratic life is vital for the renewal, resilience
and legitimacy of democratic institutions. The future of Europe
depends on societies in which young people are recognised as equal
partners in shaping political, social, economic and cultural life.
2. Building on its
Resolution 2619 (2025) and
Recommendation 2299 (2025) “Youth
movements for democracy” and its
Resolution 2553 (2024) “Strengthening
the youth perspective in the work of the Parliamentary Assembly”
which introduced the PACE-Youth Participation Mechanism with the
aim of ensuring that the youth perspective is systematically taken
into account in the work of the Assembly, the Assembly emphasises
that youth participation must evolve from consultation to shared
responsibility, ensuring that young people have both the right and
the means to influence decisions that affect them.
3. The Assembly notes that, while progress has been made, youth
participation remains uneven and fragmented across Europe. Many
young people continue to feel excluded from decision making, perceive institutions
as unrepresentative and have limited opportunities to shape public
policy. Persistent barriers such as social inequality, precarious
employment, limited access to housing and education, and shrinking
civic and cultural spaces have deepened generational divides.
4. The Assembly welcomes the Final Declaration adopted at the
10th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth,
held on 8 and 9 October 2025 in Malta, and the Resolution on the
Council of Europe Reference Framework on a Youth Perspective adopted
on the same occasion. It also welcomes the adoption by the Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe of the
new European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local
and Regional Life on 29 October 2025, as well as the New Democratic
Pact for Europe, which aims at strengthening democratic resilience
in Europe and to which the Assembly actively contributes. Together,
these instruments provide a coherent road map for integrating a youth
perspective across all sectors of policy and decision making.
5. The Assembly recognises the importance of the unique co-management
system of the Council of Europe’s youth sector as a standard and
inspiration to be followed, including the instruments of the European Youth
Centres in Strasbourg and Budapest and the European Youth Foundation,
as an exemplary model of youth participation. It also welcomes the
proposal to conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of
a third venue of the European Youth Centre in the Black Sea region
as a sign of renewed commitment to democratic inclusion in Europe’s
eastern regions.
6. The Assembly stresses that youth participation must move beyond
consultation towards genuine influence in decision making, in accordance
with the principle that young people should be provided with the right,
the means, the space, the opportunity and the support to participate
meaningfully in democratic life. This requires transparent and accessible
institutional mechanisms, accountability of authorities towards
young people and a culture of trust between generations.
7. In the light of the above and in consideration of the centrality
of youth engagement to the New Democratic Pact for Europe, the Assembly
calls on member States to develop and implement comprehensive frameworks
for youth participation, taking inspiration from the Council of
Europe Reference Framework on a Youth Perspective, at all levels
and in particular to:
7.1 adopt
or update national youth policies and strategies and ensure their
effective implementation through measurable indicators;
7.2 establish or reinforce youth-led councils, youth parliaments
and structured dialogue platforms with decision-making powers or
advisory mandates, including by integrating participatory youth budgeting;
7.3 implement the new European Charter on the Participation
of Young People in Local and Regional Life, adopted by the Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe;
7.4 include young people in public administration advisory
bodies, boards of cultural institutions and environmental councils;
7.5 adopt targeted measures to prevent and address hate speech
directed at young people engaged in political life, including through
stronger legal protections, reporting and rapid-response mechanisms and
educational programmes that promote democratic participation and
safeguard young voices in the public sphere.
8. The Assembly emphasises that equal access to rights is the
foundation of participation. As a priority, it urges member States
to:
8.1 guarantee universal access
to quality education, vocational training, employment opportunities, housing
and healthcare for young people;
8.2 prioritise mental health policies and accessible services
tailored to young people’s realities, particularly in post-crisis
contexts;
8.3 combat discrimination and ensure the inclusion of marginalised
young people, including those from minority, migrant, rural or low-income
backgrounds, and those with disabilities;
8.4 ensure gender equality in all youth-related initiatives
and leadership positions.
9. The Assembly notes that civic and citizenship education are
key to nurturing democratic competences and critical thinking. It
therefore calls on member States to:
9.1 integrate civic education into formal curricula from an
early age and across disciplines;
9.2 support non-formal education and youth work as complementary
spaces for experiential learning and active citizenship;
9.3 enhance teacher training and youth worker professionalisation;
9.4 recognise youth civil society, volunteering and community
engagement as integral parts of civic learning;
9.5 promote the Council of Europe’s Quality Label for Youth
Centres as a symbol of commitment to shared values, collaborative
learning and continuous improvement of youth work across Europe.
10. The Assembly highlights that cultural participation strengthens
belonging and community cohesion, based on the principles set out
in the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage
for Society (CETS No. 199, 2005). It invites member States and local
authorities to:
10.1 support projects
linking art, civic engagement and urban regeneration;
10.2 provide accessible public spaces for youth creativity
and expression;
10.3 promote partnerships between youth organisations, artists
and municipalities to co-create inclusive cultural initiatives,
including by strengthening links with the Enlarged Partial Agreement
on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe.
11. Recognising the digital transformation of political and civic
life, the Assembly calls on member States to:
11.1 promote digital literacy and critical media education
for young people;
11.2 establish transparent frameworks for online participation,
including e-consultations and digital assemblies;
11.3 ensure that digital platforms respect human rights, protect
young users from disinformation and online abuse, and promote respect,
remedy and democratic dialogue.
12. The Assembly also strongly supports lowering the voting age
to 16 as a concrete step towards intergenerational equality and
more inclusive democracy. It underlines the positive experience
of several member States where such reform has led to higher levels
of political engagement and civic trust among young voters. It therefore
urges all member States to:
12.1 examine
the legal and institutional feasibility of lowering the voting age
to 16 in all elections;
12.2 accompany this reform with civic education and awareness-raising
initiatives to ensure informed participation;
12.3 support peer learning and capacity building among electoral
authorities, youth organisations and youth workers to facilitate
implementation of the reform.
13. The Assembly further encourages governments to foster intergenerational
dialogue and participation by:
13.1 developing
mentorship programmes linking young leaders with experienced policy
makers;
13.2 establishing youth advisory boards in national parliaments
and government ministries, in consultation with national youth councils;
13.3 supporting political parties in promoting youth wings
and candidate training programmes, including young women, vulnerable
and under-represented groups, and minorities.
14. Civil society and youth-led organisations are indispensable
partners for democratic innovation. The Assembly calls on them to
strengthen advocacy for youth rights, promote diversity and inclusion,
develop civic education initiatives and engage in structured co-operation
with parliaments and public authorities.
15. Furthermore, the Assembly invites international and regional
organisations, including the European Union, the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and United Nations
agencies, to co-ordinate efforts to promote youth participation,
support research and data collection, and share best practices on
intergenerational solidarity.
16. Finally, the Assembly resolves to:
16.1 continue integrating the youth perspective in all its
thematic, political and monitoring activities to ensure the implementation
of
Resolution 2553 (2024),
and strengthen the visibility of young parliamentarians in national
delegations;
16.2 ensure regular involvement of youth representatives, including
grassroots organisations, in its debates, hearings, election observation
missions and electoral activities;
16.3 promote interparliamentary co-operation on youth engagement
through regional exchanges and capacity building for youth representatives;
16.4 promote dialogue initiatives within its framework, involving
young people from the youth organisations of political parties represented
in the Assembly, with a view to fostering intergenerational exchange
and informing parliamentary work.
17. Building democracies with young people requires meaningful
engagement, which demands institutional reform, accountability and
shared responsibility. By embedding the youth perspective across
all levels of decision making, Council of Europe member States can
ensure that democracy remains inclusive, dynamic and sustainable
for generations to come.
