National youth policy reviews

An international review of national youth policy is the most complex and comprehensive of measures fostering youth-policy evaluation and development. This process involves wide-ranging commitment, from political to financial, from both the requesting country and the Council of Europe. The main milestones include the preparation of a national report about the youth policy and situation of young people in the country, an expert team assessment of the report followed by up to two intensive field visits around the country to study particular perspectives, finalisation of the international report further to input from the requesting government, and its presentation at a public hearing.

National youth policy series

In total, the national youth policies of 21 countries have been reviewed since the first one in 1997. These reviews involved a steep learning curve in relation both to the process of conducting them and to the content of "youth policy". Following the first seven reviews, a synthesis report was produced that endeavoured to construct, from the material available, a framework for assisting the understanding of "youth policy". A similar "synthesis" exercise took place after a further seven reviews, reflecting both on the unfolding and evolving process of carrying out the reviews and on new themes and issues for "youth policy" that had not emerged or been apparent within the initial framework. A third synthesis report did not focus exclusively on the final seven reviews but also drew together some of the conclusions and challenges that had emerged over the two decades of reviews, as well as considered some lessons for the future.

Other policy documents