OSCE Presence in Albania brings young people from Western Balkans together in third edition of Youth Trail

Forty young people from all over the Western Balkans gathered on 23 May 2019 in Tirana to participate in the Youth Trail 2019.

The third edition of the Youth Trail, a flagship youth-centred event, is organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania, with the support of the Slovak OSCE Chairmanship, the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), Tirana Municipality, and the German Government. For five days, the young people will get to know each other, explore Tirana, and debate about the future of democracy, security, peace and co-operation in the region.

Addressing the Youth Trail opening ceremony, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania Bernd Borchardt spoke about the importance of stepping up efforts to promote regional co-operation, and of youth as actors of change in the Western Balkans. “Over the three years, 2,000 people have shown interest in joining the Youth Trail and 100 participated. I hope that this Youth Trail will transmit to all of you what a participant of the first edition said: that he understood that young people from the region have much more things that unite them than separate them,” Borchardt said.

“Reconciliation, overcoming the difficult legacy of the past in our region is possible if there are contacts not only between governments, but also between societies, and you are doing this in a wonderful manner,” said Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Sokol Dedja.

In the next days, the Youth Trail participants will engage in a lively programme of exchange that includes sessions on topics ranging from democratic participation, gender equality, climate change, and anti-corruption to dealing with the past, regional co-operation, OSCE values, intercultural learning, and promotion of cultural heritage.