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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

The top-level authorities in Cyprus involve young people in the formulation of policies in the following ways:

The Youth Board Law of 1994 (Ν.33 (Ι)/94) (Ο περί Οργανισμού Νεολαίας Νόμος του 1994 (Ν.33(Ι)/94) includes legal provisions and guidelines on youth consultation. The law specifically outlines the creation of Advisory Bodies, emphasising that the Youth Board’s Council is obligated to actively seek and earnestly consider the recommendations provided by these bodies. This applies to matters falling within the Council's jurisdiction. The primary role of the Advisory Body is to articulate perspectives and propose suggestions related to the fundamental principles of youth policy. 

Given that the Youth Board of Cyprus is tasked with advising the Council of Ministers, facilitated through the Minister of Education, Sport, and Youth, on the formulation of a comprehensive and specialised policy pertaining to "youth matters," this consultative mechanism spans across all policy domains that directly impact the well-being of young people.

In addition, Youth Board of Cyprus, in the framework of the implementation of the National Youth Strategy, carries out consultations with youth people, in order to ensure their participation in matters that directly concern them. More information on the Strategy and the consultations can be found in section 1.3 - National youth strategy.

In this manner, the Youth Board of Cyprus officially seeks input from young individuals, engaging with other prominent national institutions to shape policies within the youth sector. The Advisory Body has the flexibility to convene face-to-face meetings at the discretion of the Council Chairman, who is also mandated to call a meeting upon receiving a written request from the majority of its members.

The Municipal/Community Youth Councils is another mechanism of consultation, through which young people are consulted on local level (advise section 5.3 - Youth representation bodies for further information on the Municipal/Community Youth Councils).

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 is consisted of the following committees:

(a) 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;

(b) 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;

(c) 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 the 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 which are invited in the consultation processes.

Outcomes

The Youth Board of Cyprus (YBC) usually requests input from the Advisory Body when it comes to policy issues, such as defining goals and objectives. As an outcome, their opinions are integrated into policy document prepared by the Youth Board of Cyprus. An example of such work was the National Youth Strategy 2017-2022 (NYS).

The type of input requested from the Municipal/Community Youth Councils is an annual action plan addressed to youth people, including a financial budget and recommendations for solutions and policies regarding problems that young people face in relation to the Local Authority. It is not available if the Municipal/Local authorities make public the final outcomes.

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 between 14-35 years old. 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 taking it into consideration when making any decision.

The Youth Board of Cyprus consistently ensures that the conference is accessible to all young people. For instance, at the 2022 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.