Belarusian youth at the EaP Youth Conference in Stockholm

On 12-13 May, the Eastern Partnership Youth Conference 2026 took place in Stockholm. This year, it was held under the theme “Enlarging youth civic space in the Eastern Partnership” and brought together youth representatives, national youth councils, civil society organizations, international partners, and stakeholders from the Eastern Partnership countries and the European Union.

The conference participants included representatives from Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The discussions focused on the shrinking civic space for young people, disinformation, hate speech, as well as issues of safety, freedom of association, and opportunities for youth participation in their countries.

It was especially important for the Belarusian delegation that the problems faced by Belarusian youth, although specific due to the political situation in the country, are in many ways similar to the challenges faced by young people in other Eastern Partnership countries. Repression, restrictions on civil liberties, the lack of safe spaces, disinformation, pressure on activists, as well as the need for support and international solidarity became common topics for participants from different countries of the region.

Participation of RADA representatives

Aleksandra Doinich, Chairperson of the Board of the “RADA”, took part in the panel “State of play from the Eastern Partnership: youth policies, challenges and success stories for youth engagement”. Together with representatives of the national youth councils of Ukraine, Armenia, and Moldova, she discussed the state of youth policy in the region, the problems faced by youth organizations, and examples of successful youth inclusion in decision-making processes.

A separate panel was dedicated to policies, good practices, and European Union approaches to working with young people. Participants discussed how European youth policies and programmes can be adapted to different political and social contexts, including countries with repressive environments.

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Dzmitry Radziyeuski, representative of the organization “The Others” and member of the Board of the “RADA”, took part in the panel “Fighting common challenges amidst shrinking of youth civic space”.

During the discussion, Dzmitry drew attention to the key needs of Belarusian youth under conditions of repression. These include safety and legal protection, access to independent information, psychological support, economic independence, the ability to freely choose employment, access to quality education, and the creation of safe spaces for participation.

The issue of mobility was highlighted separately. For young people inside Belarus, obtaining visas, participating in international programmes, academic exchanges, and educational opportunities in Europe is becoming increasingly difficult. The reduction of contacts between Belarusian and European educational institutions further isolates young people inside the country.

The discussion also addressed how the repressive environment changes the work of youth organizations and activists. The liquidation of organizations, the criminalization of ties with independent initiatives, the risks of detention, persecution, torture, forced “confession videos,” and politically motivated sentences force young people to look for new, safer formats of activity.

Among the forced compromises mentioned were self-censorship, a shift to “neutral” topics — such as ecology, urbanism, or animal welfare — as well as the choice between emigration and “internal migration,” when a person remains in the country but is forced to completely give up public activity for the sake of their own safety.

Panel participants also discussed strategies and tools that help young people remain engaged, safe, and resilient.

Among the effective approaches mentioned were:

• the development of digital media and social networks as channels of communication with young people;
• non-formal education, critical thinking courses, and competence-building programmes;
• the use of safer and more “neutral” language when working with audiences inside the country;
• the development of closed local communities and horizontal support networks;
• psychological and legal assistance for activists;
• international advocacy and documentation of human rights violations;
• the role of umbrella organizations that help collect needs, develop partnerships, find safe contacts, and represent the voice of youth organizations at the international level.

At the same time, participants noted that some tools do not work or may be dangerous. Among them are appeals to state institutions and forced participation in state youth associations that do not reflect the real interests of young people.

Why this matters for Belarusian youth

Participation in the EaP Youth Conference became an important opportunity for Belarusian youth and RADA member organizations not only to present the Belarusian context, but also to see it within a broader regional perspective.

The situation in Belarus remains one of the most difficult in the region. However, many challenges — shrinking civic space, pressure on activists, disinformation, and the lack of safe opportunities for participation — are common to the Eastern Partnership countries. That is why the exchange of experience between youth organizations in the region is especially valuable.

For RADA and its member organizations, this is also an opportunity to communicate the needs of Belarusian youth to international partners, look for new formats of support, and build coalitions with organizations that face similar challenges in their own countries.

The EaP Youth Conference showed that youth civic space in the Eastern Partnership region is under strong pressure, but young people and youth organizations continue to look for ways to act, support one another, and influence the future of their countries.