NPYS 2026 - DEMOCRACY SPEAKS BACK!
Youth Initiative for Human Rights Regional Network (YIHR) proudly presents the 8th Youth Summit, which will be held from June 22nd to 24th in Novi Pazar, Serbia.
Novi Pazar Youth Summit (NPYS 2026) is a landmark regional event that unites young changemakers from across the region to learn, debate, connect and shape new advocacy and policy recommendations to advance democracy, protection of human rights and reconciliation. In a critical year when global conflicts are threatening the peace and stability, this event seeks to empower youth as a leading force for resisting undemocratic tendencies.
The NPYS 2026 is offering a unique space for proactive youth engagement and demonstrates the space for claiming the agency. Participants will confront urgent political challenges and respond to growing repression. This event stands as a beacon of progressive, critical thinking, dedicated to strengthening democratic practices, defending media freedoms, while putting human rights in the very center of this endeavor.
This year, after YIHR’s Youth Summit was organized in each capital of Western Balkans countries, we are coming to Novi Pazar. Over the past year, Novi Pazar has emerged as an important symbol of solidarity, empathy, and civic resistance thanks to the student-led movement and broad citizen support. At the same time, students, activists, and professors from Novi Pazar have faced considerable pressure at both local and national level due to their participation in the protests. By holding Youth Summit here, we seek both to recognise their courage and contribution, and to create a meaningful space for dialogue and exchange among young people from across the region.
NPYS 2026 provides a platform for a new generation of young people to discuss the future of democracy, rule of law, and the European perspective. This year’s summit, under the slogan “Democracy Speaks Back!”, will address some of the region’s most urgent challenges: democratic backsliding, captured institutions, youth political participation, reconciliation and memory politics, media manipulation and disinformation, freedom of speech, and the future of human rights in increasingly polarized societies.
NPYS 2026 is a platform for civil society activists from different backgrounds, defenders of democracy and different stakeholders committed to building democratic, inclusive and peaceful future of Western Balkans. If you recognize yourself in this, we are looking forward to seeing you in Novi Pazar!
Since the first Youth Summit organized in Belgrade in 2009, YIHR organized Youth Summits in Prishtina (2012), Sarajevo (2015), Zagreb (2017), Skopje (2019), Podgorica (2022) and Tirana (2024).
Open Call for Participants: Novi Pazar Youth Summit 2026
What to Expect?
A number of interactive panels, workshops and networking sessions during the Summit will provide you with an opportunity to gain valuable insights into the challenges that youth is facing across the region. Despite the rising nationalism, slow European integration and stalled reconciliation efforts followed by the growing undemocratic tendencies, the Youth Summit presents a space for open dialogue.
Why should you join NPYS 2026?
Amplify your voice.
Grow your network.
Build partnerships.
Inspire.
Who can apply?
We invite any motivated young person (18 to 30) from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia to apply.
How to apply?
To apply, please fill out the application form by June 15th, 2026 at 23:59.
All expenses, including travel, accommodation and meals, are covered by the organizers. The working language of the event is English, and the number of participants is limited. All applicants will be informed about the results of the open call soon after closing of applications.
The selection criteria will be based on your motivation, previous experience and country of origin. While the majority of participants for this year’s edition of the Youth Summit will be from Serbia, we strongly encourage others to apply!
If you have any questions, please visit our website or reach out to us at [email protected].
Do not miss a chance to be the part of the biggest and most engaging youth led event in Novi Pazar! Join us in shaping the future of the region and beyond!
We look forward to receiving your applications and welcoming you to the Novi Pazar Youth Summit 2026!
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What is the Youth Summit?
The Youth Summit is a semi-annual regional gathering that unites young people from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, and Croatia, alongside peace activists from Europe and global experts. Participants work together on pressing issues such as transitional justice and reconciliation, human rights and the rule of law, democracy, civil society resilience, media literacy, and accountability of public institutions.
This year’s summit, under the theme “Loud Resistance,” aims to empower youth to lead efforts that preserve hard-fought democratic gains and reconciliation processes, while laying the groundwork for youth-driven positive change in the future.
Since its inception in 2009 in Belgrade,, YIHR has organized Youth Summits in Prishtina (2012), Sarajevo (2015), Zagreb (2017), Skopje (2019), and Podgorica (2022) with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Check out highlights from past summits here.
