This publication is part of a series of reviews of national youth policies carried out by the Council of Europe, in collaboration with researchers, non-governmental youth organisations and governmental agencies responsible for the development and implementation of youth policy. The review comprises of a national report produced by the individual country, together with a critical analysis of national policy and practice undertaken by a team of international experts in the subject. This report focuses on national youth policies and programmes in Cyprus.

This issue of Unasylva will be dedicated to the restoration of degraded forest ecosystems in the Mediterranean region. Ten years after the last issue on Mediterranean forests, this volume will provide a status of Mediterranean forest resources with a specific focus on restoration efforts, recent developments, and opportunities to achieve regional and global pledges. It will also highlight Mediterranean restoration efforts that the UN Decade wants to promote on a global scale.

This monograph has two purposes. The first is to develop the framework that was initially established through a grounded reading of the material from the first seven international reviews of national youth policy conducted by the Council of Europe Youth Directorate between 1997 and 2001. This has involved a careful reading of the subsequent national and international reports produced between 2002 and 2006 to identify either issues that merit greater prominence or new issues to be addressed in the future. The outcome of this exercise is the proposal of a new framework for European-level debates on the subject of youth policy. The second purpose is, through consultation with those who took part in the second cycle of reviews, to refine further the process by which international reviews are carried out. A number of observations suggest that immediate action can be taken to improve the experience of participating in review teams and, ultimately, the quality of the international reports.

Youth Work in the Commonwealth: A Growth Profession establishes a baseline to inform the planning and implementation of initiatives to professionalise youth work in Commonwealth member countries. The study was conducted in 35 countries in the Africa, Asia, the Caribbean/Americas, Europe and Pacific regions. It catalogues the extent to which the youth work profession is formally recognised in these countries and examines the qualities and rights-based ethos of the various forms of youth work promoted and practised in the Commonwealth. The report aims to help countries learn from good practices, and assess gaps in establishing youth work as a recognised profession in diverse contexts.

This report is part of a series of international reviews of national youth policies carried out by the Council of Europe in collaboration and consultation with government agencies and ministries responsible for the development and implementation of youth policy, as well as with non-governmental youth organisations. The reviews are carried out by an international team which outlines the strengths and challenges of the countries' youth policies in a constructive manner, drawing where appropriate upon broader international evidence and debate. The international review process was established to fulfil three distinct objectives: - to advise on national youth policy; - to identify components which might combine to form an approach to youth policy across Europe; - to contribute to a learning process in relation to the development and implementation of youth policy.

Ukraine is the 19th country overall, and the third of the Commonwealth of independent States (following Armenia and Moldova) to have its youth policy reviewed by the Council of Europe's international review team. Ukraine presented a range of new challenges: it was by far the largest country geographically and it embodied geo-political characteristics (from North to South, and East to West) that are reflected in its philosophy and approach to youth policy development. This international review explores three issues of particular interest to the Ukrainian authorities: health and healthy lifestyles, employment and employability, and patriotic education and citizenship, in addition, the international review pays special attention to questions of youth participation and engagement, and to those groups of "vulnerable" young people who are at most risk of social exclusion. The review argues for the establishment of a more open development model for youth policy in Ukraine, supported by a clear strategic vision and the strengthening of its commitment to local capacity and autonomy in shaping relevant programmes and projects, in particular, it also advocates the promotion of more diverse methodologies in the implementation of youth policy, based on non-formal learning and skills-development principles.

How do institutions such as the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations address youth policy, and how can this work be concretely linked to the efforts of a national government to develop a youth policy agenda? This manual proposes one possible model for how a national youth policy strategy can be developed. It is based on the author's observations from the countries of southeastern and eastern Europe, as they gain experience in addressing youth policy in a transversal and cross-sectorial manner and with the active involvement of young people.--Publisher's description.

Cyprus Country Study Guide - Strategic Information and Developments Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments

A reference tool for initiating youth policy and learning about the diversity of national and international governance and about the infrastructure available for youth policy, its implementation, review and evaluation Today, we know much more about national and European youth policy, the role of research, participation of young people and monitoring and evaluation of youth policy than we did when the first Youth policy manual was published in 2009 by the EU–Council of Europe youth partnership. The concept of youth policy can be very narrowly or very broadly constructed. This volume positions youth policy in the context of public policy and reflects on the complex, cyclical nature of policy making, bringing together the results of knowledge gathering and debates central to the European agenda in the field over the last 15 years. Thematically, the manual focuses very specifically on those areas of youth policy that have been formulated and developed through European consensus-building – participation, information, volunteering, social inclusion, access to rights, youth work, mobility and digitalisation. We hope that the five parts of the manual, from the conceptual to the practical, and through a range of examples and questions for reflection, will help you to explore, understand and engage with the youth policy framework in your context, from your own perspective, and will provide you with a sense of all the stages of youth policy making. Most importantly, the manual includes a wide range of standards, tools and resources developed by and for the benefit of youth policy makers, youth work practitioners, youth researchers and young people across Europe. It is About Time! we strengthen the youth sector further to develop a new generation of positive and purposeful youth policies in Europe!