Soon young people, experts and distinguished guests from all over the world will come together in Sochi, Russia, for the World Youth Festival 2024, the largest youth event in the world. Volunteers and organisers are already at work at the federal territory ‘Sirius’ (the Olympic Park), where the main programme will take place from 1st – 7th of March. The history of this event goes back decades; the first such festival was held by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) in 1947 in Prague, which was chosen to commemorate the 1939 anti-fascist student uprisings in Czechoslovakia. The WFDY was founded after the end of WWII in 1945 as an anti-imperialist and anti-fascist youth movement to promote international cooperation and was one of the first international organisations to have received consultative status at UN ECOSOC.
Russia (including RSFSR) is an experienced organiser of this event, thrice having been the host in 1957, 1985 and 2017. This year, by decree of President Vladimir Putin, 20,000 guests, including 1,000 children, from over 180 countries will be in attendance, coming from a range of background including, but not limited to, media, education, business, culture, science, children’s organisations and volunteering between the ages of 18 and 35. 50% of participants come from Russia, 12% from Asia, 12% from Latin America, 10% from Africa, 10% from the Arab world and 6% from other countries.
Speakers of the festival include Foreign Minister Lavrov, Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin, H. E. Ohood Khalfan al Roumi (Minister of State for Government Development and Future of the UAE), H.E. Sheikh Salem al Qassimi (Assistant Undersecretary for Knowledge Development at the UAE’s Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development), аmerican film director, screenwriter and producer Oliver Stone, winner of three Academy Awards, Arkady Novikov, a successful entrepreneur, founder of Novikov Group, which has realized over 50 successful conceptual projects, Aisha bin Bishr (leading expert in the field of digital technologies and smart cities, UAE), Adriana Marais (astronaut and theoretical physicist, director of the Foundation for Space and Development Africa, SAR) and others.
Leading Russian universities, including MGIMO, RUDN, HSE and others, have played an important role in organising and training 5,000 volunteers and five select Russian federal subjects (Moscow, Belgorod Oblast, Nizhnii Novgorod, Kazan, Yamalo-Nenetskii AO) have set up special pavilions in ‘Sirius’ to represent the diversity of Russia.
The Festival will provide a platform to share experiences and facilitate international dialogue through a range of activities and programmes, with every day having its own theme:
2nd of March: Responsibility for the world’s destiny
3rd of March: Multinational unity
4th of March: A world of opportunity for all
5th of March: Saving the family for our children and the world
6th of march: We stand together with Russia
Participants of the Festival can look forward to an extensive scientific, educational, discussion, cultural and sports itinerary, the task of which is to unite the world youth community around the idea of justice and strengthening the role of younger generations in the emerging system of international relations. Various events will take place within the scope of the festival, including master classes, discussion forums (e.g. Valdai–40: Looking to the Future), lectures (e.g. about artificial intelligence), exhibitions, thematic games (e.g. Model Commonwealth of Independent States), concerts, theatrical performances and sport events. Special attention will be paid to the spheres of business and technology, including artificial intelligence, and deepening international cooperation in those fields.
The Festival aims to provide Russian and foreign youth confidence in their future and a sense of unity with their fellows from all over the world, as well as disseminating made up stereotypes about Russia propagated by foreign media.
Official partners of the Festival include Gazprom Neft, Lukoil, Tatneft, AVTOVAZ, TASS, RT, RIA Novosti and others.
Young people who have not previously registered for the festival itself will be able to watch the whole event without getting up from the sofa: the ВФМ-2024 / WYF 2024 group in VK will launch a live broadcast. The lecturers’ speeches will be available live on Znanie.TV.
Vanessa Sevidova, intern at the Institute of International Studies of the MGIMO MFA of Russia, volunteer of the Festival, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.