On International Youth Day, 12 August 2024, the third day of the Ukrainian Youth Forum "Free to Dream" took place with the participation of the President, the Speaker of the Parliament and the Prime Minister.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that new state programmes to support young people will be launched in September. In particular, the "eOselya" programme with preferential conditions for young people, a new programme of grants for one's own business and educational grants – a programme to support applicants. "Be with Ukraine, be in Ukraine! And may Ukraine always win!" he stressed.
During the Forum, the President solemnly presented state awards. He also talked informally with young people, answered questions about the development of youth infrastructure, uniting young Ukrainians abroad and in Ukraine.
The Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed the importance of legislative initiatives of young people, announcing the creation of a youth council at the Parliament. "You should be grateful that you have action along with your dream," he said, emphasizing the need to act for change.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted the priorities of the new "open door" youth policy, which provides for the development of human capital, the integration of young people into all internal processes of the state, health and inclusiveness. "We appreciate, help, and interact," he concluded.
Moreover, the Prime Minister together with the Head of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Matvii Bidnyi solemnly presented diplomas to the laureates of the Prize of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for special achievements of youth in the development of Ukraine, noting their achievements that contributed to the development of youth initiatives at the local level.
Finally, the participants of the Forum presented their initiatives to improve the activities of the Ministries to all members of the Government. They also had the opportunity to directly ask them questions and share their ideas.
The event was also attended by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, representatives of international development partners, state authorities and the media.
It should be noted that the Forum was attended by a delegation of the Department of Youth led by Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe. The participants of the Forum discussed the present and future of youth policy in Ukraine and Europe, got acquainted with the standards, resources and capabilities of the Council of Europe, taking part in bilateral and multilateral meetings, the Fair of Organisations, workshops on youth participation and group work.
The Ukrainian Youth Forum 2024 is organized by the Council on Youth Issues under the President of Ukraine in close cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); Hepatica Foundation; USAID/ENGAGE activity, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact in Ukraine; the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine within the framework of the project "EU4Recovery – Empowering Communities in Ukraine" (EU4Recovery), implemented with the financial support of the European Union, and the project "Support to Civil Society and Youth", implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark; The Responsible and Accountable Politics in Ukraine (U-RAP) program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), International Republican Institute (IRI); as well as the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and British assistance from the UK government; with the support of the Partnership for a Strong Ukraine fund, funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, Estonia, Canada, the Netherlands, the United States of America, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland; NGO "Platform for the Development of Youth Initiatives"; E-Governance for Accountability and Participation (EGAP) Program, funded by Switzerland and implemented by East Europe Foundation; Democracy Reporting International (DRI) within the framework of the project "Democratic Integration, Resilience and Inclusion (Ukraine-DARE)", implemented with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office; the EU4Youth IV project, co-financed by the European Union and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); the Council of Europe project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III"; as well as in cooperation with the Office of the President of Ukraine.
