Russian-German youth cooperation is carried out in accordance with the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany in the field of youth cooperation of December 21, 2004.
In order to implement the Agreement, the Russian-German Council on Youth Cooperation was created in 2005.
The Council determines the priorities and main directions of bilateral youth cooperation, develops criteria for the effectiveness of events based on analysis and exchange of the experience, and approves the annual Program of Russian-German youth, school and professional youth exchange.
By mutual agreement the Council meets alternately in Russia and Germany at least once a year. The members of the Council are appointed on a parity basis from among representatives of government authorities and organizations that assist in the implementation of youth exchange.
From November 19 to 22, 2019 the XV meeting of the Russian-German Council on Youth Cooperation was held in Heidelberg.
The Russian delegation was headed by Olga Chernysheva, the Director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Social Projects in the Sphere of Higher Education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, and the German delegation was headed by Thomas Tomer, the Director of the Department for Work with Children and Youth of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of Germany.
From the Russian side the meeting was attended by the members of the Council including representatives of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Russian Coordination Bureau for Youth Cooperation with Germany, the Institute of International Social and Humanitarian Relations, the All-Russian Children's Center "Orlyonok", the National Youth Council of Russia, the Interregional public organization "German Youth Association" and the Russian Student Sports Union.
The final protocol of the XV meeting of the Russian-German Council on Youth Cooperation was signed on November 21, 2019 by the co-chairs of the Council, the Director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Social Projects in the Field of Higher Education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation O. Chernysheva and the Director of the Department for Work with Children and Youth of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of Germany T. Tomer.
The key results:
Following the results of the XV meeting of the Russian-German Council on Youth Cooperation it was decided to develop a long-term strategy for the development of Russian-German youth cooperation with the participation of interested organizers of youth exchanges and youth representatives. The Russian-German Youth and School Exchange Program for 2020 was approved.
As part of the Russian-German Youth and School Exchange Program for 2020 the following main joint events are planned:
- Russian-German partnership conference of youth exchange organizers "Youth must remember" dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War (May, Berlin),
- Forum of young representatives of local governments of the partner cities of Russia and Germany (June, Rostov-on-Don),
- III Russian-German Fair of Partnerships in the Field of Professional Youth Exchange and Russian-German Thematic Day "Professional Youth Exchange" (September, Moscow),
- Russian-German forum of organizers of youth sports exchanges (September, Astrakhan, Elista).
As part of the Council meeting the Russian Student Sports Union and the German Sports Youth Association signed the plan for youth exchanges in the field of mass sports for 2020.
In addition, at the Council meeting the issue of the current situation in the field of visa support for the participants in Russian-German youth and school exchange was discussed. The Council recommended that the Russian Coordination Bureau for Youth Cooperation with Germany and the Foundation for German-Russian Youth Exchange prepare a joint letter regarding the problematic issues in the field of visa support for the exchange participants and send it to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs with a request to consider this issue within the framework of the inter-ministerial consultations on consular issues.
