Lack of political will to support the young generation

Statement by AKEL MP Christos Christofides after the meeting of the Parliamentary Education and Culture Committee

16 February 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Today in the Parliamentary Education Committee we discussed the budget of the Cyprus Youth Agency (ONEK) for 2022. Almost everyone underlined the lack of necessary political will to support the Youth Agency and, by extension, to support the state’s policy towards the young generation of our country.

There are serious shortcomings, especially regarding the support towards – and not only – youth initiatives. There were also shortcomings and gaps in the long delay in the appointment of a new Board of ONEK, and in the fact that the position of Executive Director of the Agency is still vacant.

The insensitivity of this government towards the young generation of our country is well known. Unfortunately, this lack of political will is also expressed in the government’s unacceptable support for the Youth Agency.