Black Sea Forum for Progressive Youth

The Olof Palme International Center and the Centre Party International Foundation are taking a joint Swedish initiative, aiming at establishing a network for progressive social democratic and liberal youth in the Black Sea region. This work is carried out in close co-operation with the Social Democratic Party and the Centre Party of Sweden.

A common problem in the countries targeted is that much of the international contacts between parties and organisations are made on a central level as funds are lacking for the younger activists to meet across the borders. There is also a need for further contacts between members of political parties and activists in NGO:s focused on single issues. These kinds of contacts are important as the two depend on the existence of each other.
The aim of this project is to create new networks and meeting grounds for members of liberal and social democratic youth movements as well as young individuals who are engaged in other independent, progressive organisations in the civil society.

Concerning the activities the ambition is to arrange a series of meetings over the years 2007-2008 where separate matters will be discussed to identify the common concerns as well as those perceptions which separate the different ideological groupings.

The first meeting, apart from a planning session in Stockholm, is planned to be held in Istanbul between 11th and 14th of October 2007.

Istanbul conference

A planning session was organised on 15-16 February 2007 in Stockholm. The schedule of the conference, the themes, the participants, the timeframe leading to the conference and its follow-up was defined. The planning session in Stockholm decided that a first conference is to be held in Istanbul between 10 and 14 October 2007. The exact dates will be determined in view of the latest information on the timeframe of the parliamentary elections in Turkey.

The discussion around the selected themes will not begin at the conference. By starting the discussion and cooperation between movements before the conference we want to ensure that the conference itself will be as valuable as possible, focusing on substantial issues. Therefore the discussion has already started through a number of discussion papers produced on the different themes.  Comments on the documents can be made by members of the forum.

Based on the original document and the comments a new draft for discussion will be produced and presented at the Istanbul conference.

Draft paper on Human Rights

Draft paper on Youth Policy

Draft paper on Freedom of the Media

Draft paper on Gender Equality

Draft paper on Environmental Challenges