Youth policy

The Foreign Ministers and high-level representatives of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the European Union participated together with representatives of the Barents Regional Council, indigenous peoples, regional bodies, observer states and invited guests in the XVII Session of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) under the Chairmanship of Sweden in Umeå on 3 October 2019.

Sweden took over the two-year chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council at the ministerial meeting in Arkhangelsk on 19 October 2017. Since its inception, the Barents cooperation has aimed to promote peace, stability and the development of the Barents region, through cross-border collaboration and people-to-people contacts. The Swedish chairmanship programme, with the title ‘Regional sustainable development for the future’, was formed with a view to advancing cooperation and deepening collaboration in key areas of common interest.

The Barents cooperation has laid the foundation for far-reaching people-to-people cooperation and high-level political dialogue in the European Arctic. The 25th anniversary of cooperation was marked by a seminar at the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the European Union on 5 June to highlight cooperation in an EU perspective and to look ahead.

National statement delivered by Ambassador Irina Schoulgin-Nyoni on behalf of Sweden at the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Youth, Peace and Security, 23 April 2018, New York.

National statement delivered by Ambassador Irina Schoulgin-Nyoni on behalf of Sweden at the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Youth, Peace and Security, 23 April 2018, New York.

Stakeholders from the Barents region will meet in Luleå to invigorate the youth perspective in the development of our societies and the future of the Barents region. The conference ‘25 years of Barents cooperation – youth perspective for the future’ will bring together some 150 participants from governments, counties and local administrations, young people and experts. The objective is to put the youth perspective at the heart of discussions and explore opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in the Barents region.

In Yemen, one child dies every ten minutes because of extreme hunger and disease resulting from conflict. Close to 10 million children remain at risk; bearing the brunt of a crisis that they hold no responsibility for, or control over. In Syria, schools – where children should find safety – are regularly attacked; denying them both education and protection. Six million children in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance. Millions more are seeking refuge in neighbouring countries and beyond. And, despite the fact that over 115,000 children have been released from armed groups since 2000, children continue to be recruited as soldiers and used in conflicts. Children are the most vulnerable and suffer most from conflict. How they are treated has consequences not only for their own future, but for that of their communities and countries. Sweden has a tradition of working to strengthen the protection of children in conflict, and we are using our membership of the Security Council to further advance this work.

Future relations between Europe and Africa are the subject of discussion as leaders from the European Union and the African Union, AU, meet in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on 29–30 November. The Summit, which is the fifth between the EU and the AU, will particularly focus on investing in youth.

On Thursday 6 April 2017, Minister for Children, the Elderly and Gender Equality Åsa Regnér inaugurated the multilingual Youmo.se website that provides information about health, gender equality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Gothenburg, 30 November 2016 Check against delivery.