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The Law on the Foundations of the State Youth Policy (2009) describes the actors, objectives and direction for youth policy, as well as how it should be implemented, regulated, and financed. The Strategy for the Development of the State Youth Policy until 2030 sets out the long-term national goals and priorities in the youth sector, which are structured within 12 strategic priority areas.
The Law on the Foundations of the State Youth Policy (2009) defines youth as those aged 14 to 31 years old.
Source: Law on the Foundations of the State Youth Policy 2009
The age of majority is a key minimum age for children and adolescents’ development, which is the age at which one acquires (nearly) all adult rights.
Source: Wikipedia Article on Majority Age (2024)
The voting age is the minimum age established by law at which a person is allowed to vote in elections.
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
The minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) determines the age below which children who commit an offence at an age below that minimum cannot be held responsible in a penal law procedure.
Source: Age Matters Research Project
Constitution, Section IV, Chapter 3, Article 80
Source: UNSD, UNDESA, ILGA
Source: COE Report Gender Recognition 2022
The Law on the Foundations of the State Youth Policy (2009) describes the actors, objectives and direction for youth policy, as well as how it should be implemented, regulated, and financed.
The Strategy for the Development of the State Youth Policy until 2030 sets out the long-term national goals and priorities in the youth sector, which are structured within 12 strategic priority areas.
The State Programme on Education and Youth Policy for 2021-2025 acts as the guiding document for both education and youth policy implementation. Within this programme, the Youth Policy sub-programme identifies two key objectives:
According to an EU-CoE Contribution Report (2021) on youth policy governance in Belarus,
"The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus is the responsible top-level authority for the overall development, co-ordination and drafting of the national development plans on youth issues in central government."
More specifically, the Office for Youth Affairs within the Ministry of Education is responsible for:
At the time of writing, the website of the Ministry of Education was unavailable.
According to an EU-CoE Contribution Report (2019) on youth participation in Belarus, two youth councils have been set up under the Ministry of Education. There is both a Youth Council - whose "system of work and representation mechanisms remains unclear" - and a Public Republican Student Council - which has representatives of all higher education institutions in the country.
The report also mentions the Belarusian National Youth Council (RADA), which was "liquidated in 2006 due to judicial restrictions imposed by the state towards public associations and organisations." Despite this, RADA continued operating underground and independently. According to an article by the International Youth Service of the Federal Republic of Germany (IJAB),
"On 23 July [2021], the Ministry of Justice of Belarus declared the National Youth Council RADA dissolved. The official reason given was: 'The organisations have repeatedly violated the law.' Staff of RADA and its affiliates are now at high risk of prosecution."
Regardless, RADA continues to be active, announcing elections for its Advisory Council on Youth in 2023 and regularly documenting and publishing cases of human rights violations against youth on the Crisis 2020 page on its site.
According to an EU-CoE Contribution Report (2019) on youth participation in Belarus,
"The National Institute for Higher Education provides a course on youth policy and socio-cultural communication. Specialists, teachers from state-run educational institutions, leaders of youth councils and organisations, and youth workers are invited to enrol on the course. As a result they graduate with a certificate on youth work competences."
Objectives of the Strategy for the Development of the State Youth Policy until 2030 pertaining to youth work include:
According to the 2023 Budget, the Ministry of Education is allocated BYN 957.8 million (USD 379.03 million). Within the budget of "National Activities," State Youth Policy is allocated BYN 12.9 million (USD 5.1 million). Within the Budget of the Ministry of Education, State Youth Policy is allocated BYN 1.1 million (USD 435,306). Finally, within the budget of the State Programme on Education and Youth Policy for 2021-2025, the Youth Policy sub-programme is allocated BYN 2.4 million (USD 949,760).
Source: Varieties of Democracy Indices
Source: European Youth Forum
Source: World Bank, UNDP, Our World in Data
According to Human Rights Watch,
"In 2022, Belarusian authorities continued to purge independent voices, including through bogus prosecutions and harassment of human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, opposition politicians, and activists. At time of writing, at least 1,340 people were behind bars on politically motivated charges and not a single human rights organization could operate in Belarus legally.
As of February 24, the Belarusian government has been letting Russian forces use the country's territory in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Belarusian authorities prosecuted critics of the Russia-Ukraine war and brutally dispersed anti-war protests.
Authorities failed to conduct effective investigations into the widespread allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of peaceful protesters by law enforcement officers in August 2020 following the manipulated presidential vote."
The Belarusian National Youth Council (RADA) documents and publishes cases of human rights violations against youth on the Crisis 2020 section if its website. One article interviews Marharyta Vorykhava, a member of the Secretariat of Rada. In response to the dissolution of RADA, Vorykhava said,
"We expected something like this to happen, but not on such a massive scale. More than 270 organizations have been liquidated since July 23, which marked the end of civil society in Belarus.
We are not allowed to call official meetings or organize events. However, the breakup is not that of critical news for most organizations - because of the corona pandemic, civil society has shifted into the digital space, the organizations can continue to do what they have been doing all these years: organize events, record podcasts, write resolutions, publish articles, conduct surveys. This work can go on, but we are all aware that as representatives of active civil society, and especially by acting on behalf of liquidated organizations, we are seen by the government as a threat.
The entire Secretariat of RADA is now abroad because of the risk of political persecution, but most of the council members are still in Belarus."
Belarusian National Youth Council RADA. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved on 28 March 2023, from https://en.rada.fm/about-us/.
Belarusian National Youth Council RADA. (n.d.). Advisory Council on Youth Elections 2023. Retrieved on 28 March 2023, from https://en.rada.fm/2023/03/28/advisory-council-on-youth-elections-2023/.
Belarusian National Youth Council RADA. (n.d.). "That equates to the end of civil society in Belarus." Retrieved on 28 March 2023, from https://en.rada.fm/2021/12/15/that-equates-to-the-end-of-civil-society-in-belarus/.
EU-CoE Youth Partnership - Ignatovitch, A. (2021). Contribution of Partner Countries to EU Youth Wiki Chapter 1: Belarus Youth Policy Governance. Retrieved from https://pjp-eu.coe.int/documents/42128013/114007071/Belarus_YouthWiki+Chapter+1.pdf/de7f8648-a5cc-ee7e-1afe-b778823db7d1.
EU-CoE Youth Partnership - Khabibulina, O. (2019). Contribution of Non-Programme Countries to EU Youth Wiki Chapter 5: Participation. Retrieved from https://pjp-eu.coe.int/documents/42128013/58896112/Belarus-Youth-Wiki-Chapter-5.pdf/7d1773ce-ed21-bbb2-b36e-4f6116c93d66?t=1580995455000.
Government of Belarus. (2009). Law on the Foundations of the State Youth Policy. Original in Belarussian. Retrieved from https://www.youthpolicy.org/national/Belarus_2009_Youth_Policy_Law.pdf.
Government of Belarus. (2021). State Programme on Education and Youth Policy for 2021-2025. Original in Belarusian. Retrieved from https://pravo.by/upload/docs/op/C22100057_1612386000.pdf.
Government of Belarus. (2021). Strategy for the Development of the State Youth Policy of the Republic of Belarus until 2030. Original in Belarusian. Retrieved from https://pravo.by/upload/docs/op/C22100349_1624395600.pdf.
Government of Belarus. (2022). Law on the Republic Budget for 2023. Original in Belarusian. Retrieved from https://www.minfin.gov.by/upload/bp/act/zakon_301222_231z.pdf.
Herrmann, C. (2021, 28 July). National Youth Council of Belarus Dissolved. International Youth Service of the Federal Republic of Germany. Retrieved on 28 March 2023, from https://ijab.de/en/topics/democracy-and-human-rights/current-articles-on-democracy-and-human-rights/nationaler-jugendrat-von-belarus-aufgeloest.
Human Rights Watch. (2023). Belarus Events of 2022. Retrieved on 28 March 2023, from https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/belarus.