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1. Youth parliament

2. Youth councils and/or youth advisory boards

3. Higher education student union(s)

4. School student union(s)

5. Other bodies

Youth parliament

There is no national youth parliament in Türkiye. However, under Article 76 of the Municipality Law No. 5393 (Kent Konseyi / City Council), municipalities may establish city councils and, within them, youth assemblies as part of the participatory structures of city councils. The legal basis for city councils is provided in Law No. 5393, and the operational framework is set by the City Council Regulation (City Council Regulation – Official Gazette, 08.10.2006; also available as an official listing in the legislation database: City Council Regulation – Mevzuat).

City council youth assemblies are established in many provinces and large districts; however, their functioning and effectiveness may vary depending on local implementation and the municipality/city council’s internal working procedures. The City Council Regulation allows city councils to set up “assemblies and working groups” within their scope of work, which provides the framework for youth assemblies as a participatory mechanism (City Council Regulation – Article on assemblies/working groups).

As an example of local practice, the İstanbul City Council Youth Council / youth participation structure provides publicly available guidance on participation and internal working structures.

Youth councils and/or youth advisory boards

There is no fully established national youth council operating on a uniform legal/secondary-legislation basis comparable to a statutory “youth council system” across Türkiye. A legal basis for establishing a national youth council within the Ministry of Youth and Sports was introduced through amendments related to the Ministry’s legal framework (Decree Law No. 638) and later reflected under the post-2018 presidential system as “to be regulated by the President” at secondary-legislation level. However, implementation details (organisation, operating procedures, oversight) require secondary regulation, and preparatory work (drafting and stakeholder consultations) has been reported as ongoing.

Higher education student union(s)

Türkiye has a legally regulated system of higher education student councils and a national-level umbrella structure. Under the relevant regulation, student councils are formed in higher education institutions, and these are represented at national level through the National Student Council of Higher Education Institutions.

Importantly, the earlier regulation of 20.09.2005 (Official Gazette No. 25942) was repealed, and a new regulation entered into force with the Official Gazette of 13.06.2020 (Official Gazette – 13.06.2020, repeal clause).

Under this framework, elections to determine student representatives and student council bodies are organised by the relevant rectorates according to their announced calendar, and student councils are provided with basic administrative support within the institution for carrying out their functions (as regulated by the applicable student council regulation framework grounded in Higher Education Law No. 2547).

School student union(s)

A school assemblies model had previously been implemented under the Democracy Education and School Assemblies Directive (Demokrasi Eğitimi ve Okul Meclisleri). This framework was abolished by a formal decision dated 17.04.2019 (MEB approval/decision), which ended the related nationwide structure described in the previous directive (Provincial Directorate official document – abrogation decision).

Other bodies

Apart from the above-mentioned participation mechanisms, there are also youth participation/representation bodies created by civil society organisations, professional networks, and local collaborations. These structures may function as advisory, consultative, or advocacy platforms depending on their mandate and governance model, and they often engage with local administrations through project-based cooperation or consultation processes.