Candan: Excluding TC Youth from Council of Europe Programmes Is a Major Deficiency

Representing the Republican Assembly at the PACE Winter Session in Strasbourg, Candan spoke under the agenda item titled “Strengthening democracies with young people: From participation to shared responsibility.”

Thanking rapporteur Ghazaryan for the report, Candan said there was broad consensus at both national and European levels on the need for greater youth participation in democratic life. He noted that the report clearly demonstrated the vital importance of youth engagement for democracy.

“Lack Of Access For Turkish Cypriot Youth To Any Council Of Europe Programme Is A Serious Deficiency”

Emphasising that democracy is not limited to elections alone, Candan said genuine participation requires the effective involvement of young people in all social, political, economic and cultural decision-making processes. Referring to the draft resolution’s call to move youth participation from a consultative level to one of shared responsibility, he underlined that young people must have both the rights and the tools necessary to influence decisions that affect them.

Candan described the Youth Delegate initiative within the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities as a positive example of encouraging youth participation in public life and decision-making. However, he said it was a serious deficiency that Turkish Cypriot youth have no access to any Council of Europe programmes.

“The Continuation Of The Cyprus Issue Should Not Be A Reason To Exclude Turkish Cypriot Youth From European And International Initiatives”

Noting that the report highlights the need to reach young people who lack access to institutional participation channels, Candan said the continuation of the Cyprus issue should not be used as justification to exclude Turkish Cypriot youth from European and international youth initiatives. He stated that Turkish Cypriot youth deserve an inclusive solution that allows them to participate in Council of Europe activities on an equal footing with their Greek Cypriot peers.

Candan stressed that Turkish Cypriot youth are ready to assume responsibility in political, social, economic and cultural decision-making processes, but that participation opportunities must first be made available to them.

Concluding his remarks, Candan once again congratulated the rapporteur for presenting a clear roadmap for Europe’s youth and said the time had come to give young people the floor, calling on institutions to “open space for them.”