Special report: Voice to the youth: Political participation in the EU and beyond. ←click here
Nov.28.– The EU is stepping up its efforts to promote civic engagement and political participation with a new initiative targeting young people in third countries through its Youth Action Plan.
The plan was first presented in October by the EU Commission in a bid to “increase the voice and leadership” of young people in decision-making within the bloc’s external action for 2022-2027.
This Monday (28 November), the EU Council agreed on conclusions on the new initiative and called on the Commission, the EU external action service and member states to “mainstream meaningful youth participation and engagement in international fora and at multilateral, regional, country and local level”.
Underrepresented youth 
While young people make up 16% of the global population, their participation in decision-making remains relatively low. Currently, only 1.6% of members of parliament worldwide are in their 20s and less than 12% are in their 30s, according to the Commission.
“We need to create a new sense of partnership with young people around the world,” the Commission’s vice-president for democracy Dubravka Šuica said ,,,
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