Human Rights 75 Youth Declaration : Rights and Freedom of Movement of Youth in the Mediterranean Region 2023-2024.

We are pleased with our contribution to crafting the “Human Rights 75 Youth Declaration,” launched by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) last December.

Our contribution involved submitting a report from the Mediterranean Youth Foundation for Development on “Human Rights in the Mediterranean: Rights and Freedom of Movement of Youth in the Mediterranean Region 2023-2024.” This report specifically focused on a right that the Mediterranean Youth Foundation for Development considers one of the most significant challenges facing the Mediterranean region, particularly Southern Mediterranean countries – the right of youth to move between Southern Mediterranean countries and Northern Mediterranean countries and the wider world.

We consider freedom of movement a fundamental human necessity. The right to travel and choose one’s place of residence is granted by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Restrictions on movement and travel in the Mediterranean region are among the critical challenges faced by youth, especially in Southern Mediterranean countries. Despite the openness of our world and the removal of traditional barriers culturally, socially, and economically, an expansion of travel restrictions poses a severe risk. Notably, one of our specific recommendations is to release the restrictions on youth in the region.

The Mediterranean Youth Foundation for Development views such restrictions as regressive, pushing young people towards illegal and undocumented pathways and fostering irregular migration. Moreover, these restrictions may inadvertently encourage viewing such migration as the only option to overcome travel and movement limitations.

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You can access the declaration through the following link: