European Youth Forum’s Council of Members
Between 17th to 18th April, OBESSU Board member Brendan Power attended the Council of Members (COMEM) of the European Youth Forum (YFJ). The COMEM took place in Brussels, Belgium and brought together all of the Youth Forum’s members in order to take decisions on the policy of the platform.
During the first day, we had a progress report exhibition from the Board and Secretariat of YFJ which innovatively encouraged active delegate engagement. It was also the opportunity to hear what YFJ has been up to recently.
Furthermore, a public plenary debate on “Creating Quality Jobs for Young People” took place, and delegates were addressed by representatives of the European Commission in order to explore issues of interest to YFJ’s members. OBESSU pointed out that education is not plainly a tool that can be manipulated by the labour market, nor is it just about skills, but it has to be considered as a human right.
One of the highlights of the event was the elections for the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe (CoE). Candidates for the Advisory Council submitted 30-second videos where they introduced themselves and afterwards delegates had the opportunity to discuss with these candidates about their motivation and experience. Congratulations to the elected candidates!
Another highlight of the COMEM was the discussion and voting the draft resolutions proposed by YFJ on Inclusive Societies and Quality Employment, which it took most of the afternoon and debate flourished. To give you an idea, Youth Forum’s members voted upon over two hundred amendments!
Several members raised concerns regarding Ganja (Azerbaijan) as the venue for the next European Youth Forum’s COMEM, mainly for the unclear human rights situation in the country. This is the reason why, before closing the meeting, the Board of YFJ stressed the importance of having assistance from the members in exploring and assessing the situation in Azerbaijan before taking the final decision.
Written by Brendan Power, OBESSU Board member
