Since 1947, Russia has been hosting World Youth Festival. In 1957, the largest World Youth Festival was held in Moscow. The event was attended by 34,000 young people from 131 countries. Ever since, the World Youth Festival is an endeavour towards global youth solidarity. The event is a platform for youth leaders from all over the world to participate and share perspectives on democracy, imperialism and other evolving trends.
Seeing today’s world, the social media and broadband connectivity have linked the world regions. Through the social networking sites, people from world over interact and often debate on political and socio-economic issues. Has the trend of global interaction contributed towards world peace and harmony or do the forces of antagonism and divergence still dominate the political environment? Seeing the political landscape, difference of opinion over bipolarity and economic integration continues to exist. But the interacting platforms in a way have opened the world community to debate. Thus, the power of connectivity and interaction has led to exchange of information which has been useful in many ways. For instance, in the context of education, a student in Asia can access the universities in Europe and America, and can also share perspectives on political, social and other issues.
The upcoming World Youth Festival in Sirius, Russian city of Sochi, in March 2024 is a platform for young leaders to share their approaches towards world peace and progress and to find solutions to challenges like climate change and extremism. Around, 20,000 young leaders from 180 countries will participate in the event and visit 30 Russian cities. Russia’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov has said, “The global festival is a content rich and engaging programme, encompassing speeches, negotiations, exhibitions, cultural activities, sports competitions, joint exercises, tourist tours, artistic performances, interviews, concerts, academic and educational lectures.”
Pakistan is also participating in the upcoming festival in Russia. Rawalpindi Arts Council, Progressive Writers Association Islamabad, National Pashtoon Council and Punjab Institute of Languages and Arts are organising events to encourage youth from Pakistan to participate. Students from Progressive Student Federation, Saraiki Council, Potohar Student Council, Punjab Student Council, Sindhi Sangat, Mehran Students Council and Pashtoon Student Council are attending the preparatory events. The event is an opportunity for youth — a step towards youth learning, enlightenment and empowerment. Pakistan’s young doctors, academicians, climate experts and journalists will meet with youth leaders from across the globe and get a chance to widen their horizon, looking at the world affairs from varied perspectives. On the socio-cultural side, the youth festival is likely to promote understanding among people and respect for each other’s faith.
Youth is the future. Empowering the youth through education and cultural exchange and providing them with opportunities to develop skills and grow economically is a global challenge for the developing and developed world. Due to the conflictual regional approaches, the principles of humanity have been sidelined, adding to the sufferings of people and indirectly abetting the forces of aggression and hate. To find an amicable solution to peace, platforms like world youth festival are significant. Through such platforms, young minds can debate and discuss the issues pivotal to their region and the world at large.
At the event, the Pakistani youth needs to promote the vision of regional connectivity and collective progress. It should be reiterated that Russia, Central Asia and South Asia through energy connectivity and economic cooperation can progress. The economic connectivity is essential to promote the idea of regionalism and trans-regional cooperation. The cooperation at regional front will eliminate poverty, deter extremism and strengthen the forces of peace.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2024.
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