The Sarajevo Film Festival reached a new milestone by presenting the inaugural Special Youth Perspectives Award, created in partnership with the Council of Europe. Unveiled during the festival’s 31st closing ceremony on 22 August 2025, the award celebrates youth-driven storytelling and cultural dialogue.

The jury - including Anja Jokić, Advisory Council on Youth member, selected DJ AHMET by Georgi M. Unkovski, a poignant film about a 15-year-old boy in rural North Macedonia who finds solace in music while grappling with family pressure, tradition, and first love. The film premiered regionally at the festival.

Valued at €7,500, the award will be given annually through 2027 to works that spotlight youth perspectives on pressing global issues such as democracy, human rights, climate change, migration, and digital transformation.

Following the award ceremony, the winners and the jury received special congratulations on behalf of the Council of Europe from the Council of Europe’s Director for Democracy Matjaž Gruden and Head of the Council of Europe’s Office in Sarajevo Bojana Urumova. 

The Ukrainian Youth Forum is an annual event organised by the Council on Youth Affairs under the President of Ukraine, in close co-operation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the “TVORY!” network, and the “Lviv – European Youth Capital 2025” initiative with support of international partners, and in co-operation with the Office of the President of Ukraine.

The Council of Europe remains committed to strengthening participatory youth policy and youth work in Ukraine taking into account the specific needs of young people at time of war.

The Ukrainian Youth Forum 2025 took place from 9-12 August 2025 first in Lviv, European Youth Capital 2025, with a conclusion in Kyiv on  International Youth Day, 12 August, with a high-level event in the capital. The event brought together over 200 participants to work on the development of youth policy, strengthen partnerships at the local and national levels, and contribute ideas on how young people can support the reconstruction process in Ukraine.

From 27 July to 4 August 2025, Krakow hosted the 15th edition of Dikh he na Bister! ("Look and Don't Forget"), an international event commemorating the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma. Organised by Roma civil society, the event brought together over one hundred young Roma and non-Roma from across European continent to honour the memory of the Roma Holocaust and to stand against antigypsyism and discrimination.

Between 10-12 September, the Quality Label’s team of experts will visit Plovdiv Youth Centre in Bulgaria to evaluate the fulfilment of the 15 quality criteria of the Quality Label for Youth Centres, which the centre has been holding since 2018.

The visit will provide an opportunity for the expert team to meet with the leadership and staff of the youth centre, in addition to liaising with key stakeholders in the Bulgarian youth field.

You can find out more about the Quality Label for Youth Centres programme, including its 15 criteria in its recently updated brochure.

The Council of Europe Steering Committee on Democracy (CDDEM) is looking for input to the draft text of the revised Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to members states on the legal status of civil society organisations.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) are fundamental for the development, realisation and protection of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, through the promotion of public awareness, participation in public life and by securing the transparency and accountability of public authorities. Yet, for several years now, the space for civil society to engage and operate is shrinking across Europe. Restrictive laws, policies and measures aim at stifling critical voices; CSOs and human rights defenders increasingly face threats and violence, both offline and online.

The Advisory Council on Youth participated at the OSCE Chairpersonship Youth Forum, held in Helsinki on 29–30 July 2025, in the framework of the Helsinki +50 Conference marking 50 years since the signing of the Helsinki Final Act.