OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Sebastian Kurz discusses future of Ukraine with youth

KYIV, 17 January 2017 - Members of the Youth Contact Group, established by the OSCE to promote inter-regional dialogue in Ukraine, today shared their visions of the future with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Austria’s Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz during a walking tour of Kyiv today.

"Today's meeting with representatives of the Youth Contact Groups was an enriching experience for me. Besides my daily exchanges with politicians and experts, I greatly appreciate getting to know other’s perspectives. Youth's perception is often different. And they are more willing to tackle complex problems,” said Kurz. “Therefore, I would like to thank the Youth Contact Groups for their valuable commitment in contributing to a better understanding in Ukraine through local dialogue."

The Youth Contact Group comprises more than 50 young people from Lviv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including many internally displaced persons, with support from the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. They receive training and engage in dialogue and are planning to conduct several projects later this year to promote social cohesion.

Five representatives of the group joined Kurz for a walk and café visit in central Kyiv during his visit to the Ukrainian capital. They exchanged views on youth’s perspective on the reform process, how the conflict resolution process might be enhanced, and youth’s role in society.

“We believe youth can play a bigger role in conflict resolution,” said Demyd Maiornikov, a Group member who was born in Luhansk and now studies in Lviv. “Through the training we’ve received from the OSCE, we’ve learned how to not only express ourselves better but more importantly to better understand others’ perspectives.”