EUROPEAN UNION Permanent Delegation to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva FORUM ON MINORITY ISSUES Minority Youth: towards diverse and inclusive societies 10th session, 30 November – 1 December 2017 Minority youth as agents of change for peace and stability EU Intervention Mr Chairperson, Speaking for the European Union, I welcome the focus on youth at this Forum on Minority Issues. Young people belonging to minority groups are in a particularly vulnerable situation, as they may face multiple forms of discrimination on the ground of their young age on the one hand, and, for instance, on the basis of their race, colour, ethnic origin, language, religion or belief on the other. Young people belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities face difficulties from the earliest age; this continues through school and university into employment, both in terms of finding work and of work conditions. Exclusion and marginalization of minority youth can fuel social and political discontent as well as conflicts. Young people who feel discriminated and marginalized may be prone to radicalization and to accept ideologies promoting violence. To prevent this radicalization, we need comprehensive and integrated policies aimed at changing attitudes, promoting cultural diversity, inclusion, and tolerance, and fighting discrimination and intolerance. Our approach to promote the rights of minority youth stems from the EU's fundamental values, enshrined in the Treaty on the European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as from the entire body of EU and international human rights law on prohibition of discrimination. Secondly, it is also based on the EU Youth Strategy (2010-2018) aiming to create equal opportunities for all young people in education and on the labour market, and to promote active citizenship, social inclusion and solidarity. Under the Europe 2020 Strategy, we have established targets and monitoring to create conditions for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, addressing the needs of minority youth through initiatives