President Nikos Christodoulides highlighted the need for greater efforts to address young people’s concerns during the fifth National Youth Assembly held at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

“The state must ensure young voices are heard and motivated to engage in public life,” he said.

Christodoulides then spoke of “diminishing opportunities for young people compared to their parents as a key issue”.

He stressed the need for leadership to win over youth “not with words, but with actions,” and cited recent housing initiatives as an example, drawing attention to eight housing schemes introduced in the past 19 months.

The president also spoke of measures such as lowering the voting age to 17 and automatic voter registration, alongside expanding the Youth Card programme to improve access to cultural activities.

He reiterated that “education and healthcare as government priorities”, referencing efforts to revise school curricula to focus on critical thinking and individual skills.

Speaking after the minister, the deputy executive director of the Youth Board of Cyprus Maria Miltiadou said that young people comprise 20.2 per cent of the population, though their participation in public life remains low.

Discussions during the assembly addressed education reforms, youth participation, career guidance and graduate employment opportunities.