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1. Formal Mechanisms of Consultation

2. Actors

3. Information on the extent of youth participation

4. Outcomes

5. Large-scale initiatives for dialogue or debate between public institutions and young people

Formal Mechanisms of Consultation

Formal youth consultation at national level is regulated through the Youth Board Law of 1994 (Ο περί Οργανισμού Νεολαίας Νόμος του 1994), which establishes the institutional framework of the Youth Board of Cyprus (YBC). The law provides for the establishment of Advisory Bodies (Συμβουλευτικά Σώματα), stipulating that the YBC Council is obliged to actively seek and consider their recommendations on matters within its competence. These bodies function as structured mechanisms for integrating youth perspectives into policy development.

The Youth Board of Cyprus (YBC), which advises the Council of Ministers through the Minister of Education, Sport and Youth, is responsible for the formulation and promotion of comprehensive youth policy. Within the implementation of the National Youth Strategy, the YBC conducts structured consultations with young people and relevant stakeholders in order to collect input, proposals and feedback on youth-related policies. These consultations may take the form of thematic meetings, public consultation processes, or dialogue sessions with youth organisations and institutional actors.

More detailed information on the National Youth Strategy and its consultation framework can be found in Section 1.3.

Municipal/Community Youth Councils constitute another mechanism for youth consultation at the local level. For a detailed analysis of their structure and advisory role within local governance, see Section 5.3 (Youth Representation Bodies), where their functions are described comprehensively.

Actors

There are different types of actors involved in the mechanisms of consultation, as well as on the actual levels of youth participation. For example, the Advisory Body consists of the following committees:

1. the Political Committee which includes representatives of each youth organisation of the parties which have a parliamentary group and which are nominated by the corresponding organisations;
2. the Trade Union Body which includes labour, rural and scientific youth organisations as well as student federations and organisations operating on an island-wide basis and with proven activity;
3. the Students Committee which includes two representatives of each student federation or organisation operating on an island-wide basis and with proven activity, as well as the school organisations, nominated by the body they represent.

All committees of the Advisory Body are chaired by the Chairman of the Administrative Board of Cyprus which is, as described in Section 1.4 Youth policy decision-making, constitutes the national agency dealing with youth issues and youth policy in the country. There are no other stakeholders involved. The Youth Board of Cyprus did not take any measures in order to encourage the participation of specific target groups.

Regarding the Municipal/Community Youth Councils, the main actors are mentioned in section 5.3 - Youth representation bodies.

Information on the extent of youth participation

Public authorities collect data on young people's participation in the consultation processes.

The Youth Board of Cyprus has a database with the number of representatives of the Advisory Body and the members of other youth participatory structures such as the Municipal/Community Youth Councils who are invited in the consultation processes.

Outcomes

The Youth Board of Cyprus (YBC) regularly seeks input from the Advisory Body on policy priorities and strategic objectives. The recommendations submitted are incorporated into official policy documents prepared by the YBC. A key example is the National Youth Strategy 2017–2022, where stakeholder input contributed to the formulation of strategic priorities and implementation measures. The same consultative process was followed for the new National Youth Strategy 2025–2030, which is expected to be officially published in 2026.

Beyond the National Youth Strategy, youth input has also influenced policy discussions through structured consultations and national youth dialogue platforms. For example, recommendations emerging from the National Youth Conference have been considered in subsequent policy deliberations and reflected in thematic youth initiatives. In addition, consultations organised with relevant ministries, such as the Youth Consultations, conducted from YBC and the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, have provided youth input on issues related to sustainable development and rural policy, contributing to discussions linked to broader policy frameworks such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Large-scale initiatives for dialogue or debate between public institutions and young people

The biggest top-level and large-scale initiative that exist for young people for participating in dialogues or debates with public authorities responsible for policy-making is the National Youth Conference. The National Youth Conference is regularly organised by the Youth Board of Cyprus and it targets young people from NGOs, informal youth groups, pupils, students and any other young people aged 14 to 35 years. The conferences usually take place under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Cyprus and the President of the House of Representatives. The aim of the conference is to hear young people’s thoughts, views, expectations and concerns about tomorrow and bring together both young people and state officials/stakeholders. Each conference has a different topic and its main outcome is a policy paper which is then given to the state officials for consideration in decision-making.

The Youth Board of Cyprus consistently ensures that the conference is accessible to all young people. For instance, at the 2022 and 2024 conference, there was sign language interpretation during the plenary sessions, and a team from the school for the deaf was also present. Additionally, they organize transportation from rural areas to the venue and facilitate attendance by providing permissions for students and soldiers. Moreover, the Youth Board actively encourages the participation of Turkish Cypriots by arranging transportation for them as well.