Young policy advisors improve policy-making skills at OSCE/ODIHR training events in Poland and Sweden

Young policy advisors from six OSCE participating States developed their policy-making skills at two training courses organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Poland and Sweden in November and December 2016, respectively.

Around 50 participants from government ministries, presidential administrations and parliaments of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine joined the courses, held from 7 to 11 November in Warsaw and from 5 to 9 December in Sando, Sweden, in co-operation with the European Union, the Folke Bernadotte Academy and the School of Public Policy of the Central European University.

The events aimed to support participants in their efforts to play a stronger role in shaping democratic institutions and promoting the principles of good governance in their countries.

“It is crucial for the policy advisors to grasp the complexity of policy development and implementation, including the need to develop policies in a transparent, accountable and inclusive manner,” said Lana Ackar, Gender Officer at ODIHR. “As we provide participants with skills and tools to better perform their professional tasks, we also emphasize the need to apply principles of inclusiveness, in particular when it comes to gender equality.”

Dijana Tabori, Human Rights Officer at the Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations and one of the course instructors, said: "Young men and women today are not sufficiently involved in decision-making in their respective countries. This is why it is important to work with young policy advisors and empower them to substantively contribute to democratic processes and represent the interests of young people.”

The training events built on previous ODIHR courses for participants from the aforementioned countries organized in 2014 and 2015 within ODIHR’s democratic governance programme, which promotes youth political participation across the OSCE region. This work aims to support the OSCE participating States in their efforts to strengthen the principles of good governance, accountability and pluralism of their democratic institutions.