World Federation of Democratic Youth
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File:Wfdy logo.png | |
Formation | 10 November 1945 |
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Founded at | London |
Headquarters | Budapest, Hungary |
President | EDONIacovos Tofari |
Secretary General | UJC - Yusdaquy Larduet |
Vice President | ULDY - Adnan Al Mokdad |
Vice President | Lasantha Abeywarna |
Affiliations | ECOSOC (General consultative status),(United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) (UNESCO) |
Website | www |
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The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) is an international youth organization, recognized by the United Nations as an international youth non-governmental organization, and has historically characterized itself as anti-imperialist and left-wing. WFDY was founded in London in 1945 as a broad international youth movement, organized in the context of the end of World War II with the aim of uniting youth from the Allied nations behind an anti-fascist platform that was broadly pro-peace, anti-nuclear war, expressing friendship between youth of the capitalist and socialist nations. The WFDY Headquarters are in Budapest, Hungary. The main event of WFDY is the World Festival of Youth and Students. The last festival was held in Sochi, Russia, in October 2017. It was one of the first organizations granted general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
History
On 10 November 1945, the World Youth Conference, organized in London, founded the World Federation of Democratic Youth. This historic conference was convened at the initiative of the World Youth Council which was formed during World War II to encourage the fight against fascism by the youth of the allied nations. The conference brought together, for the first time in the history of the international youth movement, representatives of more than 30,000,000 young people of diverse different political ideologies and religious beliefs from 63 nations. It adopted a pledge for peace.
Shortly after, with the onset of the Cold War and Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain speech, the organization was accused by the US State Department of being a "Moscow front". Many of the founding organizations quit, leaving mostly youth from socialist nations, national liberation movements, and communist youth.[1] Like the International Union of Students (IUS) and other pro-Soviet organizations, the WFDY became a target and victim of CIA espionage as well as part of active measures conducted by the Soviet state security.[2][3][4][5]
The WFYD's first General Secretary, Alexander Shelepin, was a former leader of the Young Communist International which had been dissolved in 1943. Shelepin had been a guerilla fighter during World War II (after his work with the WFDY, he was appointed head of Soviet State Security).[2] Both the WFDY and IUS vocally criticized the Marshall Plan, supported the Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 and the new People's Democracies in Europe. They opposed the Korean War.[2]
The main event of the WFDY became the World Festival of Youth and Students, a massive political and cultural celebration for peace and friendship between the youth of the world. Most, but not all, of the early festivals were held in socialist nations in Europe. During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s the WFDY's festivals were one of the few places where young people from the so-called "Free World" could meet youth struggling against apartheid from South Africa, or militant youth from Vietnam, Palestine, Cuba and other nations. Famous people who participated in festivals included Angela Davis, Yuri Gagarin, Yasser Arafat, Fidel Castro, Ruth First, Jan Myrdal and Nelson Mandela
When the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc collapsed, the WFDY entered a crisis. With the power vacuum left by the collapse of the most important member organization, the Soviet Komsomol, there were conflicting views of the future character of the organization. Some wanted a more apolitical structure, whereas others were more inclined to an openly leftist federation. The WFDY, however, survived this crisis, and is today an active international youth organization that holds regular activities.
Pledge
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-M23075%2C_Budapest%2C_II._Weltfestspiele%2C_Er%C3%B6ffnungsrede%2C_Guy_de_Boisson.jpg/220px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-M23075%2C_Budapest%2C_II._Weltfestspiele%2C_Er%C3%B6ffnungsrede%2C_Guy_de_Boisson.jpg)
We pledge that we shall remember this unity, forged in this month, November 1945
Not only today, not only this week, this year, but always Until we have built the world we have dreamed of and fought for We pledge ourselves to build the unity of youth of the world All races, all colors, all nationalities, all beliefs To eliminate all traces of fascism from the earth To build a deep and sincere international friendship among the peoples of the world To keep a just lasting peace To eliminate want, frustration and enforced idleness
We have come to confirm the unity of all youth salute our comrades who have died-and pledge our word that skilful hands, keen brains and young enthusiasm shall never more be wasted in war
— Pledge of the World Federation of Democratic Youth
General Assembly
Every 4 years WFDY holds a General Assembly. The last Assembly took place in Havana in 2015. During the Assembly WFDY elects its Headquarters and General Council but also a Political Declaration is approved.
Member organizations
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Africa
Asia and the Pacific
Europe and North America
Latin America and Caribbean
Middle East
Former members
Afghanistan - Democratic Youth Organization of Afghanistan
Argentina - Juventud Intrasigente Argentina
Argentina - Juventud Socialista Auténtica
Australia - Eureka Youth League
Belgium - Graffiti Jeugendsdienst
Belgium - Jeunesse Communiste de Belgique
Bolivia - Confederación Universitaria Boliviana
Brazil - Juventude do PCB
Bulgaria - Dimitrov Komsomol
Byelorussian SSR - Leninist Communist Youth Union of Belarus
Catalonia - Col·lectius de Joves Comunistes - Joventut Comunista (Youth of Partit dels i les Comunistes de Catalunya)
Cambodia - People's Revolutionary Youth Union of Kampuchea
Chile - Juventud de la Izquierda Cristiana de Chile
Chile - Juventud del MIR
Chile - Juventud Rebelde Miguel Enríquez
Chile - Unión de Jóvenes Socialistas
China - Communist Youth League of China
China - All-China Youth Federation
Colombia - Federación Juvenil Obrera
Colombia - Juventud de la Alianza Nacional Popular
Colombia - Juventud del Poder Popular
Colombia - Unión Nacional de los Estudiantes Secundarios
Colombia - Unión de Jóvenes Patriotas
Congo - Union de la jeunesse congolaise, Republic of Congo
Costa Rica - Juventud del Pueblo Costarriquense
Costa Rica - Juventudes Patrióticas
Costa Rica - Juventud Vanguardista Costarriquense
Czechoslovakia - Svaz Mládeže, Czechoslovakia
Dominican Republic - Juventud Revolucionaria Dominicana
Dominican Republic - Unión Democrática Orlando Martínez
Ecuador - Departamento Juvenil del Central de Trabajadores de Ecuador
Ecuador - Juventud Comunista de Ecuador
El Salvador - Asociación General de Estudiantes Universitarios de El Salvador
Faroe Islands - Færøske Socialister
Finland - Democratic Youth League of Finland
Finland - Finnish Union of Democratic Pioneers
Germany - Socialist Youth League Karl Liebknecht
East Germany - Free German Youth
Greece - Greek Communist Youth (Internal)
Guadeloupe - Union de la Jeunesse Communiste Guadeloupe
France - Union nationale des étudiants de france-Solidarité Etudiante
Guatemala - Juventud Patriótica del Trabajo
Guyana - Young Socialist Movement
Haiti - Jeunesse Communiste de Haiti
Honduras - Federación de la Juventud Comunista
Iceland - Revolutionary Communist Youth League
Indonesia - People's Youth (Indonesia)
Italy - Italian Communist Youth Federation
Italy - Youth Federation of Italian Communists (Youth of the Party of Italian Communists)
Jamaica - Young Communist League of the Workers' Party (Workers Party of Jamaica)
Luxembourg - Jeunesse Communiste Luxembourgoise
Martinique - Union de la Jeunesse Communiste Martinique
Mexico - Frente Juvenil Revolucionario
Mexico - Juventud Socialista de los Trabajadores
Mongolia - Revolutionary Youth League (REVSOMOL)
Netherlands - Algemeen Nederlands Jeugd Verbond
Nicaragua - Juventud Sandista 19 de Julio
Hungary - Kommunista Ifjúsági Szövetség
Panama - Juventud del PRD
Panama - Juventud Popular Revolucionaria
Paraguay - Federación Juvenil Comunista de Paraguay
Peru - CGTP Sección Juvenil
Peru - Juventud Aprista Peruana
Peru - Juventud Mariateguista
Poland - Związek Socjalistycznej Młodzieży Polskiej
Puerto Rico - Federación Universitaria para la Indpendencia
Puerto Rico - Juventud Comunista de Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico - Juventud Socialista de Puerto Rico
San Marino - Federazione Giovanile Comunista San Marino
Sri Lanka - Congress of Sama Samaja Youth Leagues
Sri Lanka - Federation of Communist and Progressive Youth
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Vanguard Youth Organization
Surinam - National Youth Movement
Sweden - Ung Vänster (1975–1992)
Switzerland - Jeunesse Communiste Suisse
Tunisia - Destourian Youth
Turkey - İlerici Gençler Derneği
United States - Young Socialist Alliance
Uruguay - Juventud Socialista del Uruguay
Soviet Union - Committee of Youth Organizations of the USSR
Soviet Union - All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (Komsomol)
Venezuela - Juventud Socialista-MEP
Observers
- Youth for Communist Rebirth In France (Youth of the Pole of Communist Rebirth in France)
- Communist Youth Movement (Youth of the New Communist Party of the Netherlands)
- Communist Youth of Luxemburg (Refounded youth organisation of the Communist Party of Luxembourg), Luxembourg
- Revolutionary Communist Youth (Youth organization of the Communist Party), Sweden
See also
- Active measures
- Christian Peace Conference
- International Association of Democratic Lawyers
- International Federation of Resistance Fighters – Association of Anti-Fascists
- International Organization of Journalists
- International Union of Students
- Women's International Democratic Federation
- World Federation of Scientific Workers
- World Federation of Trade Unions
- World Peace Council
References
- ^ Richard Felix Staar, Foreign policies of the Soviet Union, Hoover Press, 1991, ISBN 0-8179-9102-6, p.84
- ^ a b c The cultural Cold War in Western Europe, 1945-1960. Giles Scott-Smith, Hans Krabbendam. p. 169
- ^ A century of spies: intelligence in the twentieth century. Jeffrey T. Richelson. p. 252
- ^ Soviet foreign policy in a changing world, Volume 1986. Robbin Frederick Laird, Erik P. Hoffmann. p. 211
- ^ Europe since 1945: an encyclopedia, Volume 1. Bernard A. Cook. p. 212
External links
- Youth wings of political parties
- Youth wings of communist parties
- Foreign relations of the Soviet Union
- KGB
- Propaganda in the Soviet Union
- Cold War espionage
- Communist front organizations
- Organizations with general consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council
- Youth organizations established in 1945
- World Federation of Democratic Youth