Youth from South-Eastern Europe develop policy recommendations on organized crime and corruption prevention in OSCE-facilitated Youth Forum

From 21 to 24 May, the OSCE Secretariat, in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, held the South-Eastern Europe Youth Dialogue Forum on Youth Crime Prevention in Durrës, Albania. The Forum gathered around 20 young people from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia to build confidence and trust among youth in the region.

The event served as a platform for youth from South-Eastern Europe to identify and discuss key security challenges concerning organized crime and corruption among their peers. The interactive discussions led to the development of concrete policy recommendations and ideas for enhancing prevention and youth engagement in policy-making processes in these areas. The policy recommendations were presented to the donor community, international organizations and leading civil society initiatives from across the region.

“Meaningfully engaging youth voices in decision-making on youth crime prevention is crucial in order to ensure that these are effective and tailored to young people’s needs,” said Tedi Dobi, Deputy Minister of Justice of Albania.

The recommendations identified by the young people participating in the event included the need to enhance the inclusion of youth voices in the design and development of youth crime prevention policies, the importance of improving formal and informal education and awareness efforts on organized crime and corruption, and actions to foster critical thinking and promote a culture of resilience among young people across the region. Youth highlighted that social media can be used as a powerful tool to counteract the glamorization of crime online by showcasing alternative avenues to crime and highlighting positive role models. Lastly, young people underscored the need to involve all sectors of society, including civil society, in addressing the underlying root causes of youth crime.

The Forum was held as part of the OSCE-wide multi-year project: “Enhancing youth crime and drug use prevention through education on legality and awareness campaigns addressing threats of organized crime and corruption”, and was funded by Italy. Other donors supporting this project are Andorra, Finland, Germany, Norway and Poland.