4469 MILES AND A FEW LARGE STEPS TO NEW YORK

There are 4469 miles, 7193 kilometres, 8 hours and 59 minutes of flight by a plane or 102 hours for a messenger pigeon and a few large steps for this European Youth Capital to the headquarters of the United Nations. Namely, at the headquarters of the United Nations, the 8th international EKOSOK youth forum was just finished, during which the delegation of the Republic of Serbia presented Novi Sad as the European Youth Capital 2019.

“This year, we assumed that it was important to make the panel within the official program of EKOSOK Youth Forum where other delegates in the United Nations and representatives of youth organisations and organisations for young people at the world level had the chance to hear about the famous Novi Sad model of the European Youth Capital, how that can be applied in their environments, how we can operate and what good we can make together in the future. At the same time, we have shown that a lot of serious things are done in Serbia, and especially in Novi Sad in the field of youth policy”, Vukašin Grozdanović, OPENS2019 Coordinator said.

Under the name “Youth Capitals as a Positive Model of Youth Participation”, the panel was held within the official program of Youth Forum, with the support of HE ambassador of Serbia in the United Nations, Milan Milanović, as well as the Minister of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Serbia, Vanja Udovičić.

“We are here to support you to invest your energy and knowledge in personal development, but also the development of all of the society. Young people should be at the top of our priorities, we will work with you and for you, but I suggest you do not wait for other people but create the future yourself, because you are our future, but also present”, Udovičić said.

The idea of the panel was to create the space for networking and partnership with organisations and institutions from New York, as well as to inform wider community about the activities in Novi Sad in 2019.

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“Today, at the panel, we have shown good synergy between local, regional and republic governments. Presentation, empowerment and networking with other youth organisations, at the global level, as well as a lot of bilateral meetings which we have had in the last couple of days show how Novi Sad is actually the indicator and an example of good practice, not only in Serbia”, Ognjen Cvjetićanin, member of the City Council of Novi Sad in charge of sport and youth says.

On the second day of the Forum, at the central meeting, Vanja Udovičić, Minister of Sport and Youth had the chance to talk, and he stated the National Youth Strategy in Serbia 2015-2025 and the Law on Youth were passed in the partnership with the youth and relevant institutions, the implemented projects were financially supported by the Ministry of Sport and Youth every year, and that these had been completely complied with the Youth Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

This year’s EKOSOK Youth Forum is held under the slogan “Youth: Empowered, Included and Equal” and is dedicated to the role of young people in the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals – decrease of poverty, climate change consequences and inequality among young people.