CBSS Youth Ministerial 2023 in Berlin

Overview

The CBSS Youth Ministerial that will take place in Berlin, Germany on 21-25 May 2023 is an initiative that aims to facilitate personal encounters between young people from the Member States of the CBSS, while promoting their participation in shaping responses to challenges affecting the Baltic Sea Region.

The theme of the CBSS Youth Ministerial 2023 is “Safeguarding resilient societies through youth collaboration in the Baltic Sea Region”. The focus will be on challenges and questions related to societal security and resilience that directly or indirectly affect young people in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR).

At the Youth Ministerial, about 30 selected young participants aged 16-29 will learn more about some of the current challenges in the Baltic Sea Region and about possible responses to them from leading experts. Participants will also develop a position paper on the issues at hand to be presented at the CBSS foreign ministers’ meeting, which will be held in Wismar, Germany on 1-2 June 2023.

In addition, the participants, in smaller groups, will also develop project proposals during a workshop on one of the days of the Youth Ministerial. The winning project proposal will receive funding of 5000 euros for further implementation.

Who can apply?

All young people over 16 and under 30 years of age and living in one of the Member States of the CBSS, or being a national thereof, are eligible to apply. About 30 participants will be selected.

Young persons who have also applied for a position in the Committee of Youth Representatives or Steering Group of the Baltic Sea Region Youth Forum (BSRYF) are particularly encouraged to apply, as 10 to 15 slots will be reserved for BSRYF members.

The CBSS Secretariat reserves the right to select participants based on gender and geographical balance and overall suitability of the applicant.

The application window will close on 15 April 2023.

Travel, accommodation and catering

Travel, accommodation and catering will be taken care of by the organisers. Travel arrangements will be made from 20 April 2023 onwards and tailored to individual needs. Participants will be lodged in a hotel in the vicinity of the German Foreign Federal Office, in double (twin) rooms.

Location and supervision

The different activities will take place at the premises of the German Federal Foreign Office or close by. The participants will be supervised by staff from the CBSS Secretariat and the German Federal Foreign Office.

Programme

The CBSS Youth Ministerial will take place in Berlin, Germany from 21 to 25 May 2023. The event will include an information day, a project workshop day, and a policy paper day.

• Day 1: Arrival of participants in the afternoon. Kick-off dinner.
• Day 2: Information Day – Presentations by and exchange with experts on the different topics. Instructions about the tasks ahead, notably on the project workshop and the position paper.
• Day 3: Project Day – development of a project idea in small groups, supervised by a  facilitator.
• Day 4: Position Paper Day – summary of results, selection of delegates who will present the results to ministers, drafting of position paper to be presented at the foreign ministers’ meeting.
• Day 5: Presentation of the position paper and project ideas, feedback and departure.

Theme

Under the overall theme of “Safeguarding resilient societies through youth collaboration in the Baltic Sea Region”, the participants will focus on four specific topics:

1. Civil security cooperation of young people within the Baltic Sea Region
2. Awareness raising for young people in the field of renewable energies in the Baltic Sea Region
3. Enhanced child and youth participation in child protection in the Baltic Sea Region, combined with awareness raising on the topic of child and youth trafficking in the Baltic Sea Region 
4. Enhanced youth collaboration to integrate refugees and migrants in the Baltic Sea Region

Participants will notably be asked to choose one preferred topic, on which they will, in small groups, elaborate a project proposal.

German Presidency of the CBSS

The event is organised under the umbrella of the German Presidency of the CBSS and co-financed by the German Federal Foreign Office. The CBSS Youth Ministerial 2023 falls under one of the three priorities of the current German CBSS Presidency (2022-2023), which seeks to promote meaningful youth participation in the Baltic Sea Region.

Background and context

Challenges and questions related to security and resilience directly or indirectly affect young people in the Baltic Sea Region and have been at the core of CBSS priorities and activities:

• The priorities of the German CBSS Presidency 2022-2023, notably on dumped munitions, renewable energies (offshore wind energy) and energy security;
• The long-term priorities of the CBSS, in particular on youth participation, but also on the Baltic 2030 Agenda, child protection, combating human trafficking in the region, as well as civil protection;
• The 2021 Vilnius II Declaration “A Vision of the Baltic Sea Region by 2030” adopted by the CBSS Foreign Ministers, which envisions meaningful youth participation in the region in order “to reach a more resilient, gender-equal and safe region”.
• The results of the 2022 Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue (BSYD) on civil protection held in Hamburg on 21-25 November 2022; 
• Other current challenges that directly affect societies within the Baltic Sea Region, including pollution of the sea, loss of biodiversity, cybersecurity and involuntary displacement of people.

Contact

Aline Mayr
CBSS Policy Officer for Youth
+46 72 030 46 65
[email protected]