Young people and youth organisations have an active role to play in ensuring the revival and evolution of democracy by demanding the recognition of social, cultural, political and economic rights and responsibilities, and by complimenting the political, representative, democratic process.  Therefore  young people and youth organisations are willing and able partners of the political decision-makers and Executives. The European Youth Forum is the only representative and democratic structure of youth organisations, ensuring this partnership by being the voice of young people and youth organisations towards international Institutions, mainly the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations. The European Youth Forum channels the flow of information and opinions between young people and decision-makers.

The European Youth Forum is the representative body of 100 national youth councils and international nongovernmental youth organisations in Europe. Whether student organisations, political organisations, organisations involved in the protection of the environment or youth exchangesÖthe members of the European Youth Forum cover a wide variety of interests. The European Youth Forum was established in 1996 as the successor of the Council of European National Youth Committees (CENYC), the European Co-ordination Bureau of International Non-Governmental Youth Organisations (ECB), and has integrated the Youth Forum of the European Union (YFEU).

The European Youth Forum:

• Promotes coherent and integrated youth policy in Europe
• Is consulted by international institutions on issues relevant to young people and youth   organisations
• Influences the policy of international institutions on youth related issues
• Promotes the rights of young people in Europe, has a political dialogue with European      decision-makers
• Promotes mutual understanding, respect for human rights and equal opportunities
• Supports and coordinates the work of its member organisations

Since the founding organisations were fully aware of the role of youth organisations in the areas of youth, culture, leisure activities and social work and the need for intercultural learning, they wished to improve and further strengthen their co-operation. Setting up the Mediterranean Youth Forum in May 1998 was an integral part of this process to promote better mutual understanding and establish an Euro-Mediterranean partnership in the Southern half of the Mediterranean basin.

The creation of a Mediterranean youth platform dovetails with those actions which have already been launched thanks to programmes such as Youth for Europe ­ Action D, Transmed or Euro-Arab Youth Dialogue and also falls within the framework of the recommendations from the Ministerial Conferences in Barcelona (the Barcelona Declaration, November 1995) and Malta (April 1997) as well as the Amman Conference on youth exchanges organised by the European Commission.

The Mediterranean Youth Forum has the following objectives:

• To improve co-operation and co-ordination between the programmes and actions pursued in the
  Euro- Mediterranean region under the aegis of institutions such as the European Union, the Council of Europe, Unesco and member organisations of the Youth Forum.
• To provide information on the Euro-Mediterranean partnership and possibilities offered to young
  people by the European institutions.
• To establish a network of youth NGOs in the South of the Mediterranean to encourage the
  exchange of ideas and co-operation.
• To support contacts between youth NGOs in the South of the Mediterranean and the member
  organisations of the Youth Forum.