The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, is putting in place new mechanisms for young people to shape EU external policies towards the Mediterranean and Africa.

This was a key outcome of three days of policy forums in Brussels involving young peacebuilders and senior institutional leaders, culminating in an open dialogue with Mrs Mogherini at the headquarters of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Listening to the views of young leaders from Europe, Africa and the Mediterranean, Federica Mogherini committed: “We will test ways of consulting youth organisations on some of our external policies to be sure that they match with the needs on the ground. We want to open up space for your voices to be heard, and to shape the way our external policies are developed and delivered”.

Mrs Mogherini also underlined in her concluding remarks the importance of now bringing to the policy table concrete case studies of youth-led social innovation and prevention that could replicated, scaled-up and invested in at the level of Member States, cities and municipalities. In this perspective, it was stated, the UN Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security provided an impetus for Member States to invest in strategies for sustaining and expanding existing practice.

“The young generation can have a very powerful impact in terms of conflict prevention,” said Mrs Mogherini. “Acting on how the young population of a country or a region deals with conflict or acts on peacebuilding turns out to be the most relevant factor to prevent a conflict”. She added that it was equally essential more than ever to protect the space of youth voice and work against the violence of exclusion.

 “Young Mediterranean Voices” is coordinated by the Anna Lindh Foundation in partnership with the British Council and a new consortium of leading actors in policy dialogue. Building on the impact of its forerunner, Young Arab Voices, co-founded in 2011 by the Foundation and Council, Young Mediterranean Voices is embedded in the European Neighbourhood Policy Review with the co-funding of the European Commission, World Bank Group and Government of Finland.

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Anna Lindh Foundation – website