OSCE Mission to Montenegro supports youth engagement across the region

Despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governing Board of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), under Montenegro’s presidency, delivered their programme for youth in the region in 2021. As it prepares for 2022, RYCO will continue to build up its effectiveness and visibility to provide more opportunities for youth.

These were some of the conclusions of the 15th RYCO Governing Board Meeting, organized in hybrid format from 9 to 11 December 2021 in Podgorica, with the financial support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

The meeting was an opportunity for Montenegro to hand over the chairpersonship of the RYCO Governing Board to Serbia for 2022. Members of the Board discussed the status of projects and plans for 2022, the main pillars for RYCO’s future engagement, the operational plan and strategy, the budget and the ongoing registration process of local branch offices.

Marko Begović, Director of the Directorate for Sports and Youth of Montenegro and this year’s Chair of the Governing Board, expressed his appreciation for the RYCO initiative and strong support for the process of youth regional co-operation.

Albert Hani, RYCO’s Secretary General, said that RYCO faced many challenges in the previous year, emphasizing that, even though pandemic prevented many activities, the Local Branch Office in Montenegro supported the organization of the Governing Board meetings.

Edin Koljenović, Head of RYCO’s Local Branch Office in Montenegro, said that his gratitude for the successful organization of this year’s sessions of RYCO’s Governing Board goes to the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, which will continue its support throughout 2022.