Montenegro Mission supports local youth action plan

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro will assist Cetinje municipality in developing a Local Youth Action Plan, which will identify and address the needs of young people in the municipality.

On 21 February 2011 the Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Ambassador Šarūnas Adomavičius, the Mayor of Cetinje, Aleksandar Bogdanovićand the Director of the NGO Youth Centre Proactive (YCP), Mirjana Rakočević signed a memorandum that they will co-operate over the next eight months to create a structured and effective Youth Action Plan .

The Municipality of Cetinje, which also has initiated the establishment of a Youth Office, will provide the expertise of its Secretariat for Social Policy and Youth in the development of the action plan. Financial support and supervision will be provided by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro. YCP will co-ordinate activities, provide expert support and prepare the final text of the document.

“Young people must have a voice in the decision-making process. Not only their lives, but their future is affected by decisions made now,” said Ambassador Adomavičius at the signing ceremony. “Young people have unique needs that should be taken into account, and this action plan will provide that opportunity. Adomavičius reiterated that the OSCE Mission is committed to working with them as a long-term partner in Montenegro's democratic transition.

The OSCE Mission, in co-operation with the Municipality of Bijelo Polje and YCP has already developed a Local Youth Action Plan for that municipality, which the local parliament plans to adopt soon.