World Festival of Youth (2024)

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The World Festival of Youth is an international Youth festival which was held in Sirius, Russia, from February 29 – March 7, 2024.^[2][3][4][5]

This event is not related to the World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS, to avoid confusion and sanctions – although it was originally positioned as such), held by the World Federation of Democratic Youth and the International Union of Students. Representatives of the WFYM and the MCC are not included in the organizational structures of the WFY and are preparing a new WFYS, which will take place in 2024 in Mexico.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova extolled it as "a unique event on a global scale".^[6] Russian president Vladimir Putin delivered a speech at the Festival in which he criticized the United States for what he saw as its failures.^[7]

According to The Guardian UK newspaper, youth festivals in Russia were part of a £1 billion campaign by Putin's government to help ensure a broad turnout for the March 2024 election in Russia.^[8]

On April 5, 2023, Russian president Putin signed a decree on holding the World Youth Festival in 2024.^[9][10] The festival will be held to develop international youth cooperation.^[11][12]

In the spring of 2023, the composition of the Organizing Committee and its Presidium was also formed.^[13] The Organizing Committee for the preparation and holding of the World Youth Festival was formed to ensure coordination of the activities and interaction of federal executive authorities, executive authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation, local governments and organizations involved in the implementation of events for the preparation and holding of the festival, as well as in solving other related tasks.^[14]

In 2023 The Government of the Russian Federation within a three-month period was instructed to develop and implement, with the participation of federal executive authorities, measures aimed at preparing and holding the World Youth Festival, to assist in public media coverage of the events for the preparation and holding of the Festival and to identify sources of financial support for the events for the preparation and holding of the Festival.^[15][16]

May 11, 2023 in Moscow the first meeting of the Organizing Committee of the World Youth Festival was held under the chairmanship of the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia Sergey Kiriyenko.^[17]

June 24, 2023 on Youth Day the application campaign for participation in the World Youth Festival has started^[18][19] were accepted, the concept, program and logo of the future festival were presented.^[20][21]

In June 2023, on the building of the college in Samara opened mural in honor of the start of the volunteer program of the World Youth Festival.^[22]

On February 15th, 2024, the American delegation of the World Youth Festival chaired by Caleb Maupin of the Center for Political Innovation, joined by Chris Helali of the American Communist Party and Elizabeth Pekin of the American Student Union, held a press conference at the United Nations building in New York City sponsored by the Russian Mission to the United Nations.^[23]

According to organizers, 20,000 people and 190 countries^[24] take part in it: Russian and foreign participants^[25] from the fields of business, media, international cooperation, culture, volunteering and charity, sport, different spheres of life.^[26]

According to the head of Rosmolodezhi Ksenia Razuvaeva among the participants will be students, young professionals, entrepreneurs, leaders of non-profit organizations, diplomats, athletes and cultural figures.^[27] It was proposed to expand the age of the Festival participants.^[28]

Ukrainian citizens have participated but the thing is they would face criminal prosecution if they were an official delegation.^[29]

The purpose of the festival is to create a platform for networking between young people all over the planet. The International Youth Festival will become the capital of the future just world, where respect for each other, values and culture of various countries and peoples is at the forefront.^[30]

The organizer of the international youth festival is the Autonomous non-commercial organization "Directorate of the World Youth Festival", two more special bodies will be created for the preparation and holding of the festival – The International Program Committee, which will include the heads of the largest organizations, businesses and youth organizations, as well as the International Youth Council, which will unite young leaders of Russia and foreign countries.^[31]

The program of the World Youth Festival will be based on the values of unity, equality, justice, mutual assistance, teamwork and charity.

During the same period, a large-scale international exhibition and forum "Russia" will unfold, where the most important achievements of Russia. For the participants of the World Festival, it will become one of the points of the program and an important element in getting to know Russia.^[32]

The regional program of the World Youth Festival will be held from March 10 to March 17, 2024, participants will visit 26 cities of Russia.^[33]

5,000 volunteers from Russia will be involved in the World Youth Festival.^[34][35]

• Medjugorje International Youth Festival
• World Festival of Youth and Students

• Summit website