From the 21st to the 23rd of June the World Conference for Ministers Responsible for Youth 2019 and Youth Forum was held in Lisbon, Portugal, and for this this occasion ternYpe was invited to attend the event in an observing position to present Roma youth and Roma youth organizations.
The first edition of this Conference was held in 1998 by the Portuguese Government, and became a landmark on the work with Youth and Youth policies. The Ministers that participated declared to commit to work – with the contribution of young people – on policies and programs to improve young peoples lives.
Now, 21 years after that Declaration, the states were called up again to revisit the steps that were taken, to adapt them to current issues young people face, and to come out of the Conference with a renewed Declaration on Youth Policies and Programs in the framework of the 2030 agenda „Lisboa+21“.
After the opening event, in which Mr. Brandao Rodrigues, Portuguese Minister for Education, and Mr. Carvalho, President of the Portuguese National Youth Council spoke, participants and „observers“ got to share an evening together to get to know each other. The Conference was attended by Government Officials and Ministers responsible for Youth, as well as a Youth Representatives from the respective countries, and was meant to create a platform for states and young people to discuss emerging Youth issues, strategies and initiatives that can improve the participation of young people in policy making, and to finally agree on a renewed ministerial commitment. In the following days those challenges were discussed and Ministers agreed on common Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).
Concluding speeches were held by Mr. Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Portuguese Republic, Mr. Costá, Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, and finally Ms. Espinosa Garcés, President of the United Nations General Assembly and Mr. Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations.
The Conference was organized by the Portuguese Government, the Portuguese National Youth Council, the United Nations office, UNESCO, UNICEF, and others.
