The Western Balkans Youth Forum, organised as part of the Berlin Summit 2021, concluded on Monday 5 July 2021. The event brought together over 100 young people and decision-makers from the region and the European Union to discuss the current situation of youth in the region and how to improve their position and lives. A number of selected Young European Ambassadors – a creative network of future game-changers established in 2020 under the EU Regional Communication Programme for the Western Balkans – participated and co-chaired working groups.

The participants discussed key challenges and topics such as reconciliation and peacebuilding, volunteering, new skills for the future, sustainable development, shifting “brain drain” to “brain gain” and how to increase youth participation. These discussions and conclusions are now formulated in the event’s final product – the Regional Youth Agenda.

The young people participating in the forum underlined that the recommendations presented in the Regional Youth Agenda should be developed and implemented through co-creation and co-management principles and with strong youth participation at national and regional levels. Furthermore, they recommended that special attention should be paid to the inclusion of vulnerable groups and youth from poorly developed areas in the region.