As a network that has been strongly dedicated to reconciliation in the region for almost 20 years, Youth Initiative for Human Rights urges RYCO to take immediate action against the RYCO youth representative from Serbia, Jagos Stojanovic, for his problematic statement, which directly undermines the principles of reconciliation and cooperation between the youth in the region. 

YIHR also reminds RYCO that civil society in Serbia, particularly KOMS, has expressed their concerns regarding the election of Jagos Stojanovic as a youth representative because of his direct work involvement in Serbian official institutions. 

Civil society organizations are friends of RYCO, and YIHR has been one of the strongest advocates and supporters of RYCO since its establishment. It is for that reason, we consider it our responsibility to react to this kind of controversial selection of the Serbian youth representative, as well as actions that are not in line with RYCO’s principles of impartiality nor respect and mutual understanding in the region.

We believe that the prerequisites for a successful reconciliation process in the region are to respect the principles rooted in RYCO’s mission and the rules and procedures. Hence RYCO should react promptly in all cases of misuse in order to preserve the core values of peace, democracy and youth representation.

YIHR considers RYCO as one of the key mechanisms in the process of building a peaceful future, where young people collaborate and exchange their knowledge and experiences across the region. We ask RYCO to react to the above-mentioned irregularities and behaviors which should not be linked with the role of youth representatives in an institution such as RYCO.