On February 27-28, 2017, the First Meeting of the Working Group on Youth and Sports at the level of Deputy Ministers was held in the GUAM Secretariat in Kyiv. Representatives of the relevant ministries and departments of the GUAM Member States, Embassies and the GUAM Secretariat participated in the meeting.

The Session was opened by the GUAM Secretary General Altai Efendiev.

The Ukrainian part informed the participants of the meeting about the implementation of the youth policy, in particular on the existing legislative framework in the youth sphere and on new draft laws on youth and on the creation of a network of youth centers in Ukraine; on the program «Youth worker», on the development of the volunteer movement in Ukraine; on civic education, initiatives for young people «The Pact for the Youth 2020» and on national indicators of youth policy. The Ukrainian side also informed about the results and achievements in the field of international cooperation and European integration, the implementation of the policy in the field of physical culture and sports, the Reforms in these areas, the work in the field of youth and sports within international organizations: UNESCO, the Council of Europe, WADA etc. It was informed about the ratification by Ukraine of the Council of Europe Convention on Combating the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, as well as about the work being carried out within the framework of the implementation of this Convention and about the creation of the National Platform on combating manipulation of sports competitions.

The Azerbaijani part informed the participants of the meeting about the development of the Youth Houses, the functioning of the Youth Foundation established under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the military-patriotic games among the youth and the successful development of the volunteer movement. Also, information was provided on the state programs «Youth of Azerbaijan 2005-2009 and 2011-2015» and the strategy «Development of Youth of Azerbaijan 2015-2025», as well as the development of a new program «Youth of Azerbaijan 2017-2021».

The Georgian part informed the participants of the meeting about the new draft law «On supporting youth work», about the development of the non-formal education system, the transition of the state from the policy of holding youth events to the policy of management and the subsequent granting of powers to municipalities to implement youth policy in the localities, support to youth NGOs and volunteerism in Georgia, as well as holding youth summer camps.

The Moldovan part informed about the regulatory framework in the field of youth policy and sport, in particular, the laws «On Youth», «On Physical Culture and Sport», the National Strategy for the Development of the Youth Sector and the Strategy for the Development of Physical Culture in Moldova – 2020.

The parties exchanged information on cooperation within the framework of international organizations such as the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Visegrad Group and the Eastern Partnership, UNESCO and others and, in this regard, expressed the desire for the joint cooperation of the GUAM Member States with the above-mentioned international organizations.

During the meeting, the Parties approved the Cooperation Directions with the framework of the GUAM Working Group on Youth and Sports, and also drafted the Action Plan for 2017-2018. The parties agreed to study the preparation of the cruise between Batumi and Odesa for young leaders «Ship of Young Leaders of the GUAM» and submit proposals for their next meeting.

The Ukrainian part made a proposal to organize a meeting of youth delegations of the GUAM Member States with the framework of the 10th UNESCO International Youth Forum (October 2017, France, Paris, UNESCO Headquarters).

The parties tentatively agreed to hold a regular meeting of the WGYS on October 19-20, 2017 in the GUAM Secretariat in Kyiv.