ESCS Deputy Minister Arthur Martirosyan took part in the annual youth forum, which this year brought together 150 representatives of youth and youth NGOs from 10 regions of Armenia and Yerevan.

Deputy Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport Taguhi Ghazaryan, Head of the Cooperation Department of the EU Delegation to Armenia Frank Hess, and Director of the “Strengthening Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership Countries” program of the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) Thomas Meyer also attended the forum.

The annual youth forum kicked off with the performances of the “Tiezerk” band.

The forum featured panel discussions addressing the development of youth policy, regulation of legal relations among the youth, youth organizations, youth workers and the state, along with their needs and expectations from the state.

Upon extending a warm welcome to the attendees of the forum, ESCS Deputy Minister Arthur Martirosyan emphasized the significance of participation in the processes of both representatives of civil society structures and the youth directly in the reforms carried out in the youth sector. He placed particular emphasis on the participation of the youth in the development of the law on “Youth Policy”: “Giving priority to the voice and priorities of the youth, we organized public hearings with the participation of more than 1,000 young people throughout Armenia. It is important for us to reflect both the needs and expectations of young people in the strategic document following the law”. During the panel discussion, ESCS Deputy Minister Arthur Martirosyan outlined the youth policy, covering law development, youth centre establishment, training of youth workers, capacity building, awareness-raising, grant programs, and international cooperation initiatives.” He informed that the voting stage for the short message (SMS) of the “Youth Capital of the Republic of Armenia 2025” contest is currently underway, calling for active voting for any of the applicant cities, namely: Abovyan, Alaverdi, Aparan, Martuni or Noyemberyan.

“Your role in public life is crucial for becoming an owner and an initiative citizen in driving the changes we want to see in our country,” said Arthur Martirosyan, urging young people to show high participation in state programs.

Deputy Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport Taguhi Ghazaryan presented legislative reforms in this area, emphasizing the importance of youth participation in the decision-making process, open to cooperation with them.

During the forum, five workshops were conducted on the following topics: “Barriers and opportunities for youth participation in local self-government”, “Needs and expectations of the youth forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh regarding Armenia's state youth policy”, “Challenges the youth face and the response of state youth policy to them”, “Challenges and opportunities for fostering youth economic activity, employment and entrepreneurship”, “Youth expectations from the state, local self-governments and NGOs”.

The selected participants held focus group discussions in their communities to identify the needs of local youth and shared the outcomes at the forum. The forum will conclude with a package of proposals developed within the framework of 5 workshops.

The annual Youth Forum is held with the funding of the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports by the “Armenian Progressive Youth” NGO and the Youth Organizations Union of Armenia with the support of the “EU4Youth: Youth Engagement and Empowerment” program implemented by the GIZ as part of the “Strengthening civil society in the Eastern Partnership countries” program which is co-financed by the European Union and the German Government.