Global issues exchanges with policy-makers at the domestic level

One of the key opportunities for exchange of views and participation of young people in policy-making process is through the drafting of the strategic goals when conceptual and legal documents are being prepared at the level of parliament, as well as on the level of ministries, in Slovakia.

This tends to be a rather technical process which demands a high level of organizational structure for youth and citizens in general to be able to relevantly contribute to the drafting of policies. All the legislative processes have space for contributions and statements by the public, including youth. Therefore, in the liberal democratic setting, the most efficient way for the youth and the public to engage in these processes is in partnership and through direct involvement with civil society organizations and their advocacy and policy teams, as well as political parties themselves, namely through the framework of direct membership in these parties.

As for influencing policy and being active in policy dialogue connected to global issues it is highly relevant for young people to be active, volunteer or in any other way contribute to the work of organizations grouped in Ambrela - Platform for Development Organizations.

The link of young people having the ability to influence global policy issues through CSOs has been in the past years strengthened by the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government for the Development of the Civil Society, which has through its participation-oriented project created the partnerships infrastructure, giving CSOs more or less direct access to policy processes taking place at various ministries, thus also creating more space for young people active in these CSOs to have their say in policy-making processes in Slovakia, taking into account also global issues.

Global issues exchanges with policy-makers at the international level

At the European level, the most important framework, which as part of the Von der Leyen Presidency,  hosts active dialogue and participation of youth on global issue policymaking, is the Conference on the Future of Europe process. The Conference was approved by both the European Commission and Parliament in the summer of 2020. It will take the format of Pan-European, national and local discussions with EU citizens as well as take the form of extensive polling and surveys online.

The goal of the conference is to gather public input for the preparation of strategic plan for EU development in the upcoming decades and beyond. This is a clear reason why the involvement of youth will be important, since the issues dealt with will impact their lives in the European Union to a great extent.

The debates and consultations conducted under its umbrella focus on a set of discussion topics, broad enough to provide sufficient scope for all participants to provide input. The conference also addresses cross-cutting issues related to the way the EU delivers on its policy objectives.

At a global level, the most important framework for the involvement of youth is the United Nations Youth Ambassador programme, which ensures the youth voice is heard on the high-level political forum such as the UN.

Participation in decision-making is one of the key priority areas of the United Nations agenda on youth. One form of youth participation at the United Nations is through the inclusion of youth delegates in a country’s official delegation to the United Nations General Assembly and various functional Commissions of the Economic and Social Council.

The roles of a youth delegate vary from country-to-country, but normally includes providing input to their delegation on issues related to youth and participation in their delegation’s work, through attending meetings and informal negotiations.

Youth delegates usually participate in several inter-governmental meetings at the United Nations. Most official youth delegates participate in the General Assembly, but some also attend functional Commissions of the Economic and Social Council.

Slovakia has been part of the UN Youth Ambassador Programme. The ambassadors for Slovakia are being decided by joint decision making of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NIVAM.