From October 21 to 25, the 6th Russia–ASEAN Youth Summit is taking place on the campus of Far Eastern Federal University. The World Youth Festival Directorate is a partner of the event.

The summit brings together 155 participants: delegates from the 11 ASEAN member states and Russia, as well as experts, representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat, and officials of Russian government bodies. Over three days, they will work on a joint Declaration on youth cooperation.

Opening the summit in Vladivostok, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General San Lwin spoke about its history.

“The Russia–ASEAN Summit in Kazan adopted the ‘Kazan Vision 2036’ and the Comprehensive Plan of Action to Implement the Strategic Partnership for 2026–2030, which provides, among other things, for regular youth summits. The Comprehensive Plan explicitly sets the goal of strengthening educational partnerships and people-to-people contacts between our two regions, which is why it is so important that, seven years after the meeting in Manila, young people from ASEAN and Russia are gathering together again. This strategic partnership is, above all, about people. It is young people who will give it energy, imagination, and creative strength,” said Mr. San Lwin.

The youth summit in Vladivostok is being held for the first time since 2019. The resumption of the forum is a logical continuation of the anniversary Russia–ASEAN Summit in Kazan, where the leaders of the two sides included the development of youth cooperation among their shared priorities. The demand for live dialogue between young people of the two regions is clearly reflected in the figures: the organizers received more than 10,000 applications from all ASEAN countries and 74 Russian regions. Participant registration took place on the WYFD International Platform of Opportunities.

“In 2026, we are marking the 35th anniversary of relations between Russia and ASEAN, which have rightfully attained the high status of a strategic partnership. Our extensive and strong ties bring great benefit to socio-economic development and are an important factor in regional stability. The mutual desire of both sides to strengthen multifaceted cooperation was clearly demonstrated by the anniversary Russia–ASEAN Summit held in Kazan in June of this year. Participants in the summit paid particular attention to creating conditions that would make contacts between young people easier and more intensive. The energy of young people and their openness to innovation and progress are an important component in ensuring the steady development of our countries and preserving the atmosphere of friendship and trust between our peoples,” said Andrey Lyamin, Deputy Director of the Department of Asian and Pacific Cooperation of the Russian Foreign Ministry, reading out an address by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Over three days, from October 22 to 24, the young delegates will work in four thematic tracks: technology and artificial intelligence, creative industries, the World Ocean and maritime civilizations, and international youth cooperation. On October 24, the participants will sign a joint Declaration, “The Common Voice of the Youth of Russia and ASEAN,” which will be submitted to the governments of the participating countries.

“It is a great honor for Russia to host young representatives of all 11 ASEAN member states. It is especially pleasing that the Summit is once again gathering at Far Eastern Federal University, which already hosted participants of the 3rd Youth Summit in 2015. For our Ministry, cooperation with ASEAN is, first and foremost, about people: students, young scientists, and educators. Today, more than 4,500 students from the Association’s countries study at Russian universities, and two thirds of them receive higher education free of charge under the quota of the Government of the Russian Federation. The topics you will be working on largely coincide with the areas that Russia proposes to include in the new Russia–ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology, and Innovation. I am confident that the ideas of the Summit’s participants will become the basis for future joint projects,” said the greeting from Olga Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia.

The 6th Russia–ASEAN Youth Summit is organized by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Far Eastern Federal University, with the Russian Foreign Ministry playing a coordinating role.

Overview:

The World Youth Festival was held from March 1 to 7, 2024, in Sirius pursuant to a decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It brought together 20,000 participants from 190 countries and established a community of young leaders willing to take responsibility for the future of their countries.

To preserve the legacy of the World Youth Festival 2024 and further develop dialogue among young leaders, international youth events in Russia are held on a regular basis. In 2025, Nizhny Novgorod hosted the World Youth Festival Assembly, bringing together 2,000 participants from 120 countries. In 2026, Ekaterinburg hosted the International Festival of Youth, which brought together 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries.

The World Youth Festival Directorate continues its work to strengthen international youth cooperation and develop a community of young people committed to the future of the world.