"As a state we have to do much more to show that we take into account the concerns of young people, to show that young people are heard and that there is a reason for them to participate in the country's public affairs," said President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday.

President Christodoulides was speaking during a discussion held at the 5th National Youth Summit organized by the Youth Board of Cyprus (ONEK), at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of Ministers, Members of Parliament, diplomats and other officials.

"All citizens of every country have an obligation to participate in public affairs and the decision-making process, but it is the responsibility of the political leadership to win over young people, not with words but with actions", said President Christodoulides, adding that for this purpose, an effort is being made to use technology to record the problems of young people and seek solutions to them.

Among the issues raised on the “Ekfracy” (expression) online platform is that of housing, he said, adding that in the last 19 months the government has moved forward with 8 housing schemes, which he said have been well received, adding that the government's intention is to expand them.

"Education and health are the most important sectors for our government," the President pointed out. He also highlighted the issue of the impact of climate change as one of the main topics that came up in his discussions with young people during his election campaign.

On her part, Minister of Education, Sport and Youth, Athena Michaelidou, pointed out that political will and support on education issues is here and is the most important element in achieving change. She added that the Ministry's desire is to shift towards the skills and competences that the active citizen of today and tomorrow must have, such as road safety and environmental awareness.

In her presentation, the Deputy Executive Director of ONEK, Maria Miltiadou, said that the young generation constitutes at least 20.2% of the total population of the country, representing an important element of growth for Cyprus, however its participation rate in political and social life remains low.

As she noted, the 5th National Youth Summit is taking place in a year dedicated to young people, since the Council of Ministers has declared 2024 as the "National Year of Youth", which includes a number of new initiatives and many others that have been implemented within the framework of the National Year by all Ministries and Deputy Ministries.

A discussion followed, with questions from young people and other attendees, during which issues such as, the evaluation of teachers in public schools, the participation of students and young people in the public sphere, successful career guidance and employment opportunities for university and technical school graduates, as well as the philosophy of the education system in general, were addressed.