On June 26, the International Youth Meeting dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II took place via Zoom at the initiative of the National Youth Council of Russia. The event was also held within the framework of the UN75 campaign and commemorated the 75th anniversary of the UN Charter.
The meeting was attended by more than 50 leaders of international and national youth NGOs. Among the organizations represented were UNESCAP, Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe, World Youth Assembly (WAY), World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), Asian Youth Council (AYC), European Youth Forum (YFJ), «Great Silk Way” International Youth Union, Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), Pan African Youth Union (PYU), Democrat Youth Community of Europe (DEMYC), Asian Youth Peace Network (AYPN), PACE 48, as well as national youth councils and youth NGOs from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.
Opening remarks were delivered by Grigory Petushkov, Chair of the National Youth Council of Russia. He noted that the main task of the young generation is to preserve the memory and prevent the repetition of the terrible events of the past. “Remembrance is of great importance for young people. Youth is the primary target group of remembrance activities because is it important to engage them in fostering dialogue and promoting mutual understanding. International solidarity and intercultural dialogue should replace nationalistic and xenophobic perceptions,” he stated.
Hetav Tek, Deputy Chair of the German Federal Youth Council (DBJR), highlighted that now children and young people can live without fear of war and prosecution. Remembrance work and commemoration are essential aspects of the activity of youth organizations. It promotes the development of critical approach to history and the politics of remembrance.
Javier Hurtado Mira, the President of the Democrat Youth Community of Europe (DEMYC), pointed out that young people shouldn’t have to pay for misunderstanding between governments. «It’s important to provide young people proper historical facts from different perspectives, so they can make their own choice. Most of our young generations didn’t live in those times, and they are all target of governmental manipulations,” he explained. He outlined that if our next generation doesn’t learn what was happening in the past, we will repeat many global mistakes.
Carina Autengruber, President of the European Youth Forum (YFJ), explained that peace is much more than the absence of war. «When we speak about living in peaceful societies, first of all we need to speak about respect for rights,» she noted. She stressed that throughout history young people and youth organizations we have been always contributing to building peace and maintaining inclusive societies.
Taha Ayhan, the President of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), talked about the global challenges faced by young people on a daily basis, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. In his opinion, youth is the most vulnerable part of the society. He also noted, “Involving youth in the peace process will not only help us find solutions to the pressing issues encountered by youths themselves, but will also prepare them as promising leaders, changemakers and policymakers”.
Member of the General Council of the World Federation of Democratic Youth Roman Kononenko in his speech reminded the history of the WFDY that was established in November 1945 in London. Back then the key objectives of the federation were defined as a struggle for lasting peace and decent future for young people. Today the WFDY is the main organizer of the World Festivals of Youth and Students — a landmark youth event that brings together young people who advocate peace, oppose war and interference in the affairs of other nations. Roman Kononenko noted a significant contribution of the National Youth Council of Russia to the preparation and holding of the 19th World Festival of Youth and Students that took place in 2017 in Sochi, Russia.
Rodrigo Reis, the executive director of the Global Attitude Institute (Brazil), in his speech addressed the importance of achieving the SDGs and promoting multilateralism. He explained that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development offers an important road map for the construction of a new and ambitious international consensus regarding the need for greater cooperation to correct the asymmetries and set the foundation for an open and sustainable multilateral system. He noted the symbolism of the UN anniversary, «The United Nations marks its 75th anniversary at the time of a great challenge. COVID-19 is a painful reminder of the need of cooperation across borders, sectors and generations».
The meeting included thematic parallel sessions on the topics: «From Our Common History to Our Common Future», «Multilateralism for Sustainable Development» and «Youth, Peace and Security». After the session the moderators presented the outcomes to all the participants.
The Chairman of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union Dmitry Voronyuk moderated the session called «From Our Common History to Our Common Future». He shared that the group had concluded that the preservation of historical memory connects previous and modern generations. He also highlighted that technology, civil society and NGOs should be engaged in the preservation of facts, as they are able to convey the mechanisms and methods of work in the field of remembrance, which is the crucial to building the future. «It is necessary not just to listen, but also take concrete actions in each country. Without common history there is no future,” stressed Dmitry.
Rodrigo Reis, executive director of the Global Attitude Institute, presented the findings of the group discussion «Multilateralism for Sustainable Development». He highlighted that multilateralism is a relevant topic for young people and youth organizations. From the point of view of the participants, this is a tool for strengthening collaboration and sharing opportunities between both local and international institutions. «Multilateralism helps to build bridges between organizations at different levels,» he summed up.
The third group «Youth, Peace and Security» was moderated by Regine Guevara, co-founder of the Asian Youth Peace Network. Deputy Chair of the Indonesian National Youth Council Astrid Nadia Rizqita presented the outcomes of the session. She stressed that regional and global actors should work together. Participants of the session also discussed that it is necessary not only to work with young people, but also to create a fruitful environment for them. The need to use technology, especially when working with vulnerable youth groups is also mentioned.
In his closing remarks Grigory Petushkov put forward a number of proposals aimed at strengthening cooperation, such as: to hold another international youth meeting on August 12 dedicated to the International Youth Day; to organize an offline meeting of leaders of youth organizations in Moscow; to create of a sustainable platform for communication of leaders of international and national organizations from different countries; to create the Youth Advisory Council under the UN Security Council; to hold a youth summit of «nuclear states» (USA, Russia, UK, France, China, DPRK, India, Pakistan) in a broader format with youth NGOs of all the interested countries.
«We must not fail those who have given their lives for a safe, free and united world. We must counter historical revisionism that undermines the sustainability of the world order and the global security architecture. Only on the basis of shared historical memory, the principles of openness, multilateralism and respect for human rights will we be able to collectively overcome the growing number of global challenges and ensure sustainable development of our planet for future generations,» Grigory Petushkov concluded.
The meeting became a platform to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 75th anniversary of the UN by analyzing the lessons of the past, exchanging views on our common future and developing joint solutions to overcome global challenges of today.
The full video is available on our YouTube channel
in Russian: https://youtu.be/CCtHP0kNe4Q
in English: https://youtu.be/v7Nr2RY36k4
