The strategic session of the educational program "Youth of Abkhazia: opportunities, identity, development" is being held in Sukhum from November 30 to December 1. It was organized by the State Committee of the Republic of Abkhazia for Youth and Sports, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) and the World Youth Festival Directorate.
The main goal of the program is to shape a vision and develop a strategic plan for the development of youth policy in Abkhazia for 2027-2031.
During the strategic session, representatives of republican and municipal authorities, educational institutions, youth, and non-government organizations in Abkhazia drafted proposals to create new opportunities and develop the potential of young people. Expert and methodological support for the program was provided by representatives from Russian agencies, including Rosmolodezh, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Rossotrudnichestvo, and the Office of the Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of Russia, as well as more than 10 leading youth organizations in Russia. These organizations shared best practices to help ensure the success of the project.
“More than 30 representatives of leading Russian organizations implementing youth policy will work in Sukhum for several days. They will share their experience and successful practices with our colleagues, so that as many children and young people as possible can learn about the opportunities created for young people by the decision of the President of Russia and united in the national "Youth and Children" project. In 2025, more than 1,000 young people from Abkhazia took part in over 60 youth projects and programs. In the near future, we will meet with delegates from Abkhazia at the upcoming forum #WEARETOGETHER. Building a dialogue between countries is a priority for us, and we work to ensure that young people can unleash their potential, make new friends and form teams, learn from each other's experiences and acquire useful skills, and turn their ideas into reality through close collaboration," said Grigory Gurov, Head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs.
The program of the session covered the most relevant topics for young people in Abkhazia, identified through sociological surveys. These topics include: employment and youth entrepreneurship, support for young families, demographic development, a healthy lifestyle and addiction prevention, mental health and social well-being, preserving national identity, education, civic engagement, and the development of international and interregional cooperation.
"We are not just developing a strategy for young people, we are creating it together with young people. Opinions, ideas and energy of our youth are the main resource for development. With the support of our Russian colleagues, who are engaged in their proven experience, we can develop the most effective initiatives that will form the basis of a viable state program of the Republic of Abkhazia," said Tarash Khagba, Deputy Prime Minister, Acting Chairman of the State Committee for Youth and Sports of the Republic of Abkhazia.
The outcome of the strategic session will be a set of specific initiatives proposed by the youth of the republic.
"The joint brainstorming session will help to develop initiatives adapted to Abkhazia based on Russia's accumulated experience in youth policy. These initiatives will form the basis for a draft state youth policy program that is being developed according to the instructions of President Badra Gunba of the Republic of Abkhazia," said Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate.
Overview:
The World Youth Festival took place on March 1–7, 2024 in Sirius, according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.
In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on preserving and developing the legacy of the World Youth Festival, which took place on the Sirius Federal Territory in 2024 and united 20,000 young people from 190 countries of the world, festival events on the territory of the Russian Federation will be held annually. The next World Youth Festival for 20,000 participants will be held in 2030. In 2026, there will be a smaller event, an International Youth Festival with 10,000 participants. In between, the World Youth Festival’s themed Assemblies will be held annually for 2,000 participants.
The first World Youth Festival Assembly was held in Nizhny Novgorod from September 17 to 21, 2025 and brought together 2,000 young people from 120 countries.
The World Youth Festival Directorate continues the work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.