The Western Balkan Regional Youth Cooperation Office RYCO should be established by the summer of this year. The primary aim of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office would be to promote peacebuilding and cooperation among youth in the region.
The RYCO was presented at the Museum of Literature and Theater Arts in Sarajevo as a part of the commemoration of the Franco-German friendship in Sarajevo. For that purpose, the German and the French Embassy organized a ceremony of signing the Elysee Treaty that was the foundation of the Franco-German Youth Office founded 53 years ago. The RYCO is being established precisely according to that office.
The hosts of the event were Claire Bodonyi, the French Ambassador in BiH and Natasha Garloff-Jonkas, the Associate on Culture at the German Embassy in BiH who used their introductory addresses to emphasize the support to the process of establishing this office but also invited youth in the region to be the bearers of the future in their countries of residence.
Among others, the event was attended by the young French and Germans, as well as representatives of youth organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina who discussed challenges, mobility and youth opportunities, as well as Katarina Vu?kovi? from the Institute for Youth Development KULT.
The working group that presented its work in the process of establishing this office is comprised of governmental representatives and youth from Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Mintenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. After presenting the working group and the previous results, a discussion was held on the principles and methods of conducting activities in this office. The role of youth organizations in the process of establishing the office and its following work was especially discussed.
This unique process and initiative were developed at the Vienna Summit on Western Balkans on the initiative of the Government of Serbia and are now supported by the governments of all participating countries in the region.
The process of establishing the Regional Office is a part of the Berlin Process and concrete results are expected by the following conference on the Western Balkans that will be organized in Paris in the summer of 2016. The working group meetings are being moderated by representatives of the Franco-German Youth Cooperation Office.
You can find more information about the process and the role of youth at http://rycowesternbalkans.org/ .
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