COPENHAGEN, 1 August 2023 – Yesterday, young Members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly held an online meeting with participants of the “Open Parliament” project implemented by the Public Foundation Youth Information Service of Kazakhstan with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana. David Stögmüller (Austria), Chair of the OSCE PA Network of Young Parliamentarians, Lilja Rannveig Sigurgeirsdottir (Iceland), Vice-Chair of the network, together with Federica Onori (Italy) and Pol Bartolome Areny (Andorra), members of the network, discussed youth participation in decision-making processes and shared their political experiences with 19 young civil society activists from Kazakhstan.
In his presentation, Stögmüller emphasized that youth engagement in the political process is the key to the establishment of democratic and sustainable societies. “The challenges we face collectively and globally today need the voice of the youth now more than ever. We need bold and active decision-making that can react to the scale of crises we face, taking into consideration the interests of future generations,” he said.
During the event, OSCE PA members shared their parliamentary experience, discussed their current activities and work in their respective parliaments and committees, described how legislators co-operate with the expert community and civil society, and discussed the impact of OSCE PA’s work on national parliaments. The interactive exchange with participants of the event touched upon issues such as the participation of youth, women, and minorities in politics and policymaking, electoral system reforms, human rights protection, domestic violence prevention, and Central Asian regional co-operation.
Participants also discussed how the establishment of the OSCE PA Network of Young Parliamentarians and bringing a new generation of political changemakers together at one table helped to promote the youth agenda in the organization and to advance debates on the most pressing issues concerning young people in the OSCE area.
The Open Parliament is a project implemented by the Public Foundation Youth Information Service of Kazakhstan in support of the OSCE Program Office in Astana, which focuses on enhancing youth inclusion and their participation in political affairs and decision-making processes since 2021. In 2023, the project involves 13 organisations and experts, who represent such areas as urban planning and urban environment, gender equality, violence against women, LGBT rights, rights of people with special needs, elections and freedom of speech. Within the framework of the project, participants take part were trained on interaction with the Parliament and legislative initiative, after which the experts are included in the working groups of the lower house of Parliament.
