Ukraine

The National Youth Strategy until 2030, adopted by Decree of the President in March 2021, aims “to create opportunities for young people living in Ukraine to be competitive, to participate in the life of society, to consciously contribute to its further development.” Priorities of the strategy include the safety, health, and integration of young people.

Published on October 4, 2023
Updated on February 20, 2024

Definition of youth

According to the Law of Ukraine 1414-IX "About the main principles of youth policy" (2021), young people are defined as those between 14-35 years (Article 1, paragraph 17).

Definition 1
14 - 35 years

Source: Youth Policy Law 2021

Definition 2

Voting Rights

Majority age
18 years

Source: Wikipedia Article on Majority Age (2024)

Voting age
18 years

Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)

Criminal responsibility
15 years

Source: Age Matters Research Project

Candidacy age

Lower House
21 years
Upper House
--- (unicameral)
President
--- (tbc)

Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)

Marriage & Gender

Without parental consent
Female
18 years
Male
18 years
With parental consent
Female
16 years
Male
16 years

Source: UNSD, UNDESA, ILGA

Is same-sex marriage legalized?
Female
Banned
Male
Banned

Source: UNSD, UNDESA, ILGA

Are other genders recognised?
Yes
compulsory medical diagnosis

Source: COE Report Gender Recognition 2022

Policy & Legislation

Is there a national youth policy?
Yes

The Law of Ukraine No. 1414-IX "About the main principles of youth policy" (2021):

"defines the purpose, tasks, basic principles, directions, and mechanisms of youth policy implementation in Ukraine, guarantees of youth participation in its formation and implementation, features of the organisational and legal foundations of the formation and activity of youth and children's public associations."

The National Youth Strategy until 2030, adopted by Decree of the President in March 2021, aims "to create opportunities for young people living in Ukraine to be competitive, to participate in the life of society, to consciously contribute to its further development." Priorities of the strategy include the safety, health, and integration of young people.

The State Targeted Social Programme "Youth of Ukraine" for 2021-2025 is:

"based on the need for self-realisation and development of youth potential in Ukraine, their participation and integration into public life, which will develop their national consciousness on the basis of social and state values and responsible citizenship, will provide young people with opportunities for successful implementation and socialisation, will increase the level of their civic competences, the ability to be independent, sustainable, active, patriotic and responsible participants in public life."

The Programme is also founded on various analyses and former development programmes concerning issues of Ukrainian youth.

As per Order No. 1740 of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (2019), calendar plans of events "for the implementation of state policy on youth issues and national-patriotic education" are developed on an annual basis, particularly focusing on the implementation of tasks in "Youth of Ukraine" for 2021-2025.

Public Institutions

Is there a governmental authority that is primarily responsible for youth?
Yes

The Ministry of Youth and Sports is responsible for youth policy in Ukraine. The structure of the ministry consists of various departments including the Department of Youth Policy, the Department of Olympic Sports, the Department of Physical Culture and Non-Olympic Sports, and the Department of Economy and Finance.

The Department of Youth Policy's List of Main Tasks includes implementing state policy in the youth sphere, developing projects of state target programmes, organising research and analyses in the youth field, and ensuring regulation in the youth sphere.

Further responsibilities of the Ministry of Youth and Sports are stated in the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 220 of 2014 (with changes introduced in accordance with the Resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers).

According to the Ministry's Strategic Plan for 2023-2025, its strategic priorities are:

  • Consolidation of society around the idea of fighting for an independent, united and indestructible Ukraine;
  • Creating conditions for the realisation of the potential of young people in Ukraine and their return from abroad;
  • Building a physically healthy and active nation;
  • Development of top-level sports, education of a generation of athletes, and formation of a positive image of Ukraine on the world stage;
  • Digital transformation of youth policy, physical culture, and sports.

Youth & Representation

Does the country have a national youth organization or association?
Yes

The mission of the National Youth Council of Ukraine (NYCU) is "to represent and protect the civil, political, social and economic rights of Ukrainian youth, to enhance the opportunities for personal development and active participation of youth in social and political life."

The main purpose of the NYCU is protecting and representing the interests of young people by consolidating and developing democratic youth organisations in Ukraine. Additionally, the NYCU lists the following objectives:

  1. Uniting the youth of Ukraine;
  2. Protecting the rights and representing the interests of young people and youth organisations of Ukraine at the national and international levels;
  3. Involving young people in decision-making processes at the local, national and international levels;
  4. Involving young people in active civic engagement;
  5. Promoting the development of youth organisations;
  6. Participation of youth in establishing and maintaining peace in Ukraine;
  7. Promoting the establishment and development of democracy in Ukraine.

According to its website, members of the NYCU include youth NGOs and regional youth councils.

Youth work

Is youth work a formally recognised profession?
Yes

According to the Law of Ukraine 1414-IX "About the main principles of youth policy" (2021), youth work is defined as "activities aimed at involving children and youth in social life, carried out by children and youth, together with children and youth, or in the interests of children and youth, using participatory decision-making tools." Additionally, a youth worker "has undergone specialised training in accordance with the procedure determined by the central executive body that ensures the formation and implementation of youth policy, and has received a standardised certificate."

The Ministry of Youth and Sports launched a Youth Worker Training Programme in 2014 to:

  1. Improve knowledge and competence of youth leaders and youth sector professionals for the e�fficient development and implementation of evidence-based local and regional youth policies;
  2. Create a database of youth sector professionals and best practices of local and regional youth policies;
  3. To foster effective dialogue between public authorities and civil society organisations for youth development in Ukraine.

The Youth Worker Training Programme has remained operational since the onset of the war in Ukraine. According to the programme website, 108 people graduated in 2022 from its Basic Training Programme.

Budget & Spending

Does the national youth policy have a dedicated budget?
Yes

According to the 2023 State Budget Distribution, UAH 41.77 million (USD 1.13 million) of the Ministry of Youth and Sport's budget were allocated to "Budget Programme 3401070: Implementation of state policy measures on youth issues and state support of youth's and children's public organisations" in 2023.

The Passport of Budget Programme 3401070 for 2023, published by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, provides a more detailed breakdown of the programme's budget.

The State Targeted Social Programme "Youth of Ukraine" for 2021-2025 has a total estimated budget of UAH 2.2 billion (USD 59.59 million) across all five programme years, with UAH 1.45 billion (USD 39.27 million) coming from the national budget, UAH 745.2 million (USD 20.18 million) coming from local budgets, and UAH 17.2 million (USD 466,000) from other sources. The Programme states that "the amount of expenditures necessary for the implementation of the Programme is determined annually, taking into account the capabilities of the state and local budgets when formulating their indicators."

For the year 2023, the Programme estimated a contribution of UAH 288.4 million (USD 7.81 million) from the national budget. According to the Passport of Budget Programme 3401070 for 2023, "Youth of Ukraine" has received an allocation of UAH 31.17 million (USD 844,000) in 2023.

Contextual Figures

Liberal Democracy Index
406

Source: Varieties of Democracy Indices

Youth Progress Index
75.44

Source: European Youth Forum

Economic Indicators

GDP per capita
$4827.85
Human Development Index
0.773
Gini coefficient
25.6

Source: World Bank, UNDP, Our World in Data

Additional background

Findings from the report Impact of war on youth in Ukraine (2023), by Cedos Analytical Centre and Info Sapiens Research Agency, with support of the UNFPA, UNDP, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Ukraine, include:

  • Growth in civic engagement. The share of young people engaged in volunteering increased from 20% to 42%. In contrast to the 6% who joined volunteering for the first time in the last 12 months in 2021, in 2022, the number was already 30%. There has also been a significant increase in the proportion of young people who said their life goals were to be useful to their country: from 6% in the previous wave to 37% this year.
  • An increase in the share of those who do not want to leave Ukraine from 49% in 2021 to 66% [in 2022].
  • Unity in the vision of the conditions for peace and the future of Ukraine. Young people unanimously support the territorial integrity of Ukraine: 86% of respondents identified as absolutely unacceptable the option that 'Ukraine claims only the territory it currently controls,' and 71% also rejected the option of peace in which Ukraine controls the territory as of 23 February 2022. Also, compared to 2021, support for joining NATO (from 59% to 80%) and the EU (from 57% to 85%) has increased significantly.

While the main report is in Ukrainian, an Infographics Summary Report has also been published in English.

The Council of Europe (CoE) details the various projects of cooperation on youth policy between the CoE and the government of Ukraine:

"Currently the long-term cooperation between Ukraine and the Council of Europe in youth policy is implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine through the project Youth for Democracy in Ukraine, launched in 2020 and currently in its third phase. The project which strengthens youth work and supports youth policy reform at the local level in the respect of Council of Europe standards and approaches."

"After the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022 the project Youth for Democracy in Ukraine transformed its activities to respond to the needs of youth workers, youth centres and youth organisations in Ukraine and to support youth policy and youth policy stakeholders in war time."

"The Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2023-2026 was adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 14 December 2022. This new Action Plan priorities strengthening youth policy and youth participation in the war and post war context taking into account the specific needs of young people and youth work actors."

A 2023 article by the CoE delves into how the third phase (2023-2024) of Youth for Democracy in Ukraine will incorporate the component "Participatory Youth Policy" in its implementation. The project will focus on:

  1. Youth policy based on participatory approaches;
  2. Recognition of youth work in wartime;
  3. Support of youth centres and youth organisations as civic activity and democratic participation.

Sources

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