BRICS is an informal interstate association of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa.
The initiator of the creation of the association was the Russian side.
The first ministerial meeting in the BRIC format took place on September 20, 2006 on the sidelines of the 61st session of the UN General Assembly in New York. It was attended by the Foreign Ministers of Russia, Brazil, China and the Minister of Defense of India who expressed interest in developing multifaceted cooperation in a quadripartite format.
The first BRIC Summit was held at the suggestion of the Russian side on June 16, 2009 in Yekaterinburg. In the statement of the heads of state signed at the end of the summit the goals of the association's activities were defined, namely the development of a consistent, active, pragmatic, open and transparent dialogue and cooperation that serve not only the common interests of countries with emerging market economies and developing countries, but also the construction of a harmonious world in which lasting peace and common prosperity would be ensured.
In 2011 South Africa joined the union.
For the first time, the need to develop youth cooperation within the framework of the BRICS was announced in 2011 on the sidelines of the III BRICS Summit following which the heads of state and government of the BRICS expressed their firm determination to strengthen dialogue and cooperation in the field of solving youth problems.
In accordance with the Concept of the participation of the Russian Federation in the BRICS association approved by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin on February 9, 2013, the main goals of Russia in developing cooperation with other BRICS Member States in the field of youth cooperation are:
- assistance in organizing multilateral events through youth organizations of the BRICS Member States,
- establishing regular youth and youth sports exchanges.
The launch of the BRICS Youth Dimension took place in 2015 as part of the Russian BRICS Chairmanship, when a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation in the field of youth policy was signed as a result of the Meeting of BRICS Ministers and Heads of Youth Affairs on July 6, 2015.
The main objectives of the Memorandum are:
- contributing to the strengthening of understanding, cooperation and friendship between youth of the BRICS countries,
- encouragement of humanitarian cooperation between youth of the BRICS Member States,
- formation of general principles of cooperation in the field of youth policy between the BRICS Member States,
- promoting the development of partnerships between the BRICS Member States and other strategic partners in the field of youth policy in the outreach format,
- development of a common approach within the framework of other multilateral and international relations in the field of youth policy.
The Memorandum defines the main areas of cooperation in the field of youth policy within the framework of the BRICS:
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International youth exchanges,
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Exchange of experience and information in the field of implementation of state youth policy,
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Entrepreneurship, scientific and innovative activities,
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Youth cooperation activities.
Meetings of Ministers and Heads of Departments for Youth Affairs of the BRICS and meetings of the Working Group on Youth Cooperation of the BRICS are held on a regular basis.
The meeting of ministers and heads of departments for youth affairs of the BRICS is convened by the heads of the executive authorities of the BRICS Member States responsible for youth policy every two years (on a rotational basis) or at an extraordinary request. The Russian Federation is represented at these meetings by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs.
Meetings of the BRICS Youth Cooperation Working Group are held once a year (on a rotational basis) or upon extraordinary request, in the interval between the Meetings of Ministers and Heads of Departments for Youth Affairs of the BRICS.
Since 2020 on the basis of the "Ulyanovsk – Cultural Capital Foundation" (currently the Ulyanovsk Region Creative Industries Fund) the Project Office for International Youth Cooperation in the "Russia – BRICS" direction has been operating. The founders of them are the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs and the Ministry of Youth Development of the Ulyanovsk Region. The main task of the project office is the implementation of activities to support the systemic interaction of youth and youth organizations in Russia with youth and youth organizations of the BRICS countries.
In 2015 the BRICS Youth Energy Agency was established.
The development of youth cooperation with the BRICS countries is one of the key activities of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs in the field of international youth cooperation.
The Russian Union of Youth, the National Youth Council of Russia, the Council of Young Diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the National Committee on BRICS Research, MGIMO, Center for Support and Development of Public Initiatives "Creative Diplomacy", The Russian International Affairs Council and the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund are also involved in the development of the BRICS youth dimension.
Since 2014 the International Festival "Student Spring of the BRICS and SCO countries" has been held, since 2015 – the BRICS Youth Summit and the BRICS Young Diplomats Forum, since 2016 – the BRICS Young Scientists Forum, since 2017 – the BRICS Youth Energy Summit and the International Scientific and Educational Program "BRICS School", since 2021 – the BRICS International Youth Camp, since 2022 – the BRICS International Youth Project Laboratory.
Source: collection "30 years of state youth policy of the Russian Federation" (30 years of state youth policy of the Russian Federation / MIREA – Russian Technological University. – M., 2022. – 340 p.)
