9.2 Administration and governance
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Governance
For many years, there have not been any policy documents in Poland which have addressed young peoples' participation in development, implementation and follow-up of policy (including cooperation at global level). There was also no coherent policy in this respect, and consequently, no appointed main or responsible agency, with the exception of core curricula in formal education (see section 9.4) due to their universal application. There were many documents related to, for example, environmental protection or sustainable development, but these were created by very different ministries, and it is impossible to identify the chief manager of these topics. As in other areas of the youth policy in Poland, these issues are usually dealt with by non-governmental organisations.
The situation began to change in 2019, when the Council for Dialogue With the Young Generation (Rada Dialogu z Młodym Pokoleniem) was established. It was created as a response to the common demand to increase the participation of the young generation in governmental decision-making. In the second half of 2020, the position of the Government’s Commissioner for Youth Politics was created, with the Commissioner having the position of a Vice-Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (Pełnomocnik Rządu ds. Polityki młodzieżowej). The main duty of the Commissioner was to coordinate the dialogue between government agencies and other partners in regards to youth politics, and to create a strategic document outlining the national youth policy. The Commissioner’s office concluded its operations in march 2023, and the government did not extend its activities. The policy document itself was neither written, nor put forth for the legislative process. In the end, only a few suggestions gathered during the consultation process were enacted, such as raising the importance of the youth councils at the county level, or establishing the Youth Fund (Fundusz Młodzieżowy).
In August 2024 the Ombudsman for Children and UNICEF Poland established a Working Group for the Participation of Youth and Children (Zespół do spraw Partycypacji Dzieci i Młodzieży) which is meant to “establish a national strategy for strengthening the participation by youth and children in Poland”.
Cross-sectorial cooperation
Not applicable.