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1. Intercontinental youth work cooperation

2. Development cooperation activities

Intercontinental youth work cooperation

The Agency for Youth Affairs regularly announces funding tenders to support the following activities:
1. Representation of the interests of foreign Lithuanian youth organizations in state institutions and institutions, communicating with organizations at the Lithuanian and international level;
2. Participation in the activities of foreign Lithuanian youth organizations and organization of international events live and/or remotely, involving foreign Lithuanian youth;
3. Promotion of the creation and development of foreign Lithuanian youth organizations;
4. Consulting of foreign Lithuanian youth organizations, strengthening of institutional capacities, planning of activities, improvement of the quality of activities;
5. Coordination of foreign Lithuanian youth organizations.
6. Organize funding contests for foreign Lithuanian youth organizations.

Maintaining relations with foreign Lithuanian youth organizations is one of the functions of youth affairs coordinators in municipalities: initiates the transfer of good experience from foreign countries and the transfer of experience gained in the implementation of youth policy in the municipality to foreign countries; develops cooperation with foreign Lithuanian youth organizations and other organizations operating in the field of youth policy.

Amounts of foreign Lithuanian organizations' projects in 2019-2023, EUR:

Source: JAgency of Youth Affairs

The World Lithuanian Youth Union (PLJS) is an independent, non-political, volunteer-based youth organization whose main goal is to bring together the world's Lithuanian youth, support the network of world Lithuanian youth organizations and represent their interests. PLJS was founded in 1972 during the 2^nd World Lithuanian Youth Congress during the Study Days at Kent University, United States of America. Today PLJS unites more than 30 youth unions and communities around the world. The mission of the PLJS organization is to create an active and civil youth community abroad while maintaining and nurturing the Lithuanian identity.

In 2013, during Lithuania's presidency of the European Commission, the Eastern European Youth Forum was organized for the first time in Kaunas. This event was one of the main youth events of the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council. It was attended by about 200 youth leaders, employees working in youth organizations, youth policy representatives from the European Union (EU) program "Active Youth" and six Eastern Partnership countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

In order to strengthen the Youth Policy in Lithuania and transfer good experience, Lithuania actively cooperates with Flanders, Latvia and Estonia. 

On a protocol basis, it shares its partnership with Germany and Sakartvel, and since 2007 it has been promoting youth cooperation by financing youth projects between Lithuanian and Polish youth, and since 2015 Lithuanian and Ukrainian youth projects.

Lithuania’s Democracy Promotion and Development Cooperation programme is used to foster exchange between young people and policy-makers on issues of global relevance. In Lithuania, this programme implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides funding for development cooperation projects which are implemented in cooperation with other governmental and non-governmental institutions in Lithuania and partner countries.

Lithuanian Law on Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid was adopted in 2013. This law determined the goals of the Lithuanian development cooperation policy, formation, implementation, coordination and financing of the Lithuanian development cooperation, and ways of providing humanitarian aid. 

In September 2016, Lithuanian Government approved National Interinstitutional Development Cooperation Action Plan (new version from 2019 is here). The Plan foresees geographical and sectorial Development Cooperation priorities. Sectorial priorities are related to the Lithuania’s efforts to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in partner countries, i.e. Lithuania will seek to contribute to the achievement of all of SDGs, however particular focus will be given to:

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere (SDG 1);

2. Ensure quality education (SDG 4);

3. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (SDG 5);

4. Take urgent action to combat climate change (SDG 13);

5. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels (SDG 16);

6. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development (SDG 17).

Lithuania’s development cooperation policy is an integral part of Lithuania’s foreign policy aimed at the following objectives to:

1. Contribute to the global efforts to reduce poverty in developing countries, as well as to implementation of other Sustainable Development Goals declared by the United Nations;

2. Contribute to elaboration of sustainable development, democracy, security and stability in partner countries;

3. Contribute to elaboration of human rights and gender equality in partner countries;

4. Strengthen political, economic, social and cultural relations with developing countries;

5. Inform and raise awareness of Lithuanian society on UN’s, EU’s and Lithuanian development policies, their goals, challenges, achieved results, and to seek greater public approval and support for development cooperation.

In order to ensure the proper implementation of the Law on Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid of the Republic of Lithuania, by the order of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania dated December 27, 2021, the strategic directions of Development Cooperation for the years 2022-2025 were approved:

•  Development Cooperation Strategy for Africa 2022–2025. 

•  Development cooperation strategy for Armenia for 2022–2025;

•  Development cooperation strategy for the Middle East for 2022–2025;

•  Development cooperation strategy for Moldova for 2022–2025.

•  Development cooperation strategy for Sakartvel for 2022–2025.

•  Development cooperation strategy for Ukraine for 2022–2025.

•  Development cooperation strategy for Uzbekistan for 2022–2025.

Agreements with non European countries in youth policy:

1. On November 19, 2009, an Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and the Government of Canada on youth exchange was signed in Vilnius (entered into force on October 1, 2010). The purpose of the agreement is to create opportunities for young people (from 18 to 35 years old) to deepen their specialty and language knowledge, study, work during vacations in another contracting state and get to know its society and culture.

2. On October 1, 2015, an Agreement was signed between the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and the Government of New Zealand on the work holiday program (entered into force on January 1, 2017). The purpose of the agreement is to promote the movement of young people for the purpose of getting to know different traditions and cultures, to give citizens of both contracting states between the ages of 18 and 30 the opportunity to come to another state of the Agreement and spend a vacation in the territory of that state for up to 12 months, while giving the right to study or work for up to 6 months.

Example of good practice: Youth projects carried out in Ukraine

Lithuania since 2015 implements development cooperation projects in the Ukrainian education system. Based on the Law on Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid project carried out in Ukraine in 2016 contributed to  promote active citizenship of young people of Ukraine, to provide knowledge and skills necessary for organizing youth activities, promoting active involvement of young people in Eastern Partnership policymaking and disseminating information about the benefits of European integration in their communities.

As part of the project, on 22 October 2016, the International Youth Civic Activity Promotion Conference was held in Kyiv, Ukraine, aimed at discussing the opportunities of young people to participate more effectively in the civic and political life of their country and Europe, the advantages and benefits of European integration.

The conference was attended by Ukrainian education and youth policymakers, representatives of the administration of educational institutions and pedagogues, representatives of the non-governmental sector, and youth workers.

The conference reports in the working groups delved into the importance and methods of developing civic activism, discussed the use of the potential of young people to create the country's well-being and their opportunities and prospects in the EU, and talked about the democratic mechanisms operating in the European Union. The possibilities of cooperation between Ukrainian and Lithuanian education and training institutions in educating active and responsible young people of Ukraine were also discussed. The conference was organized by the Lithuanian Children and Youth Center and the Kyiv Institute of Ecology, Economics and Law. The main partner of the conference - the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Ukraine - contributed a lot to the successful implementation of the conference.

Example of good practice: Youth projects carried out in Palestine and Tunisia

Based on the Law on Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid in 2013, Lithuania implemented one project in Palestine and one in Tunisia in 2013. At the political school in Tunisia, experts from Lithuania and other countries shared their theoretical and practical knowledge of justice during the transitional period, presented the development and strengthening of the democratic political system and civil society to their Tunisian colleagues. In total, training sessions were attended by 25 Tunisian politicians. 

Lithuania supports the strengthening of public spirit skills of Palestine youth and encourages young Palestinians to play a more active role in their country’s life building a democratic and knowledge-based society. Using non-formal education techniques, specialists from Lithuania hosted training at the Palestinian boys’ school Arab Institute (24 boys), Al Quds University (18 students), non-governmental organisation Vision Alliance for Arts and Culture (17 participants). The training included the presentation of ideas for projects relevant to the youth and community (and the best ones were put into practice), preparation of their descriptions and planning for actions to help implement these projects. At the end of the visit, specialists from Lithuania took part in the collection of olives together with partners and trained youth groups, which served as a practical example public spirit building through non-formal education.

GLEN

GLEN is a global learning network for European youth, which consists of non-governmental organizations from 12 old and new European Union countries: Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Malta, France, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Germany.

In Lithuania, from 2005 the partner of the GLEN network is the Lithuanian Kolping Society.