World Federation of Democratic Youth
The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) is an international youth 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 Allies 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.
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| Formation | 10 November 1945 |
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| Founded at | London |
| Headquarters | Budapest, Hungary |
President | Aritz Rodríguez (UJCE) |
Secretary General | Yusdaquy Larduet (UJC) |
Vice Presidents | Adnan Al Mokdad Amb. Naftal Kambungu Sundar Bhusal |
| Website | www |
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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 the Second World War to bring together the youth movements of the allied nations in an anti-fascist front. The conference was attended by over 600 delegates from 63 nations, it was at the time the largest and most diverse gathering of international youth.[1] The conference 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.[2] 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.[3][4][5][6]
The WFDY'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).[3] 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.[3]
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
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
The WFDY conducts a General Assembly every four years, the last taking place in Nicosia in 2019.[7] During the Assembly, leadership and a General Council are elected and an organisational declaration is approved.[8]
Member organizations
Africa
Asia and the Pacific
Pashtoonkhwa Students Organization
Europe and North America
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Latin America and Caribbean
| Country | Name | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina |
Federación Juvenil Comunista | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Argentina | [9] |
 Barbados |
League of Progressive Youth | ||
 Bolivia |
Juventud Comunista de Bolivia | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Bolivia | |
 Brazil |
Juventude Revolucionaria 8 de Outubro | Youth wing of the MR-8 | |
| Juventude do PDT | Youth wing of the Democratic Labour Party | ||
| Juventude do PMDB | Youth wing of the Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement | ||
| Juventude Comunista Avançando | Youth wing of the Polo Comunista Luiz Carlos Prestes | ||
| União da Juventude Comunista | Youth wing of the Brazilian Communist Party | [9] | |
| União da Juventude Socialista | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Brazil | [9] | |
| Juventude Socialista Brasileira | Youth wing of the Brazilian Socialist Party | ||
 Chile |
Juventudes Comunistas de Chile | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Chile | [9] |
 Colombia |
Juventud Comunista de Colombia | Youth wing of the Colombian Communist Party | [9] |
 Costa Rica |
Juventud Frente Amplio | Youth wing of the Broad Front (Costa Rica) | [9] |
 Cuba |
Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Cuba | [9] |
 Ecuador |
Federación Estudiantes Universitarios | ||
| Juventud Socialista Ecuatoriana | Youth wing of the Socialist Party of Ecuador | ||
 El Salvador |
Juventud del Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional | Youth wing of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front | |
 Guatemala |
Juventud URNG | Youth wing of the URNG | |
 Guyana |
Guyana Youth and Students Movement | ||
| Walter Rodney Youth Movement | |||
 Mexico |
Federation of Young Communists | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Mexico | |
| Juventud Popular Socialista | Youth wing of the Popular Socialist Party | [9] | |
 Nicaragua |
Juventud Sandinista 19 de Julio | Youth wing of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional | |
 Paraguay |
Casa de la Juventud del Paraguay | ||
 Peru |
Juventud Comunista Peruana | Youth wing of the Peruvian Communist Party | |
 Uruguay |
Juventud del Movimiento 26 de Marzo | Youth wing of the 26 March Movement | |
 Venezuela |
Juventud Comunista de Venezuela | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Venezuela | [9] |
| United Socialist Party of Venezuela Youth | Youth wing of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela |
Middle East
| Country | Name | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
 Algeria |
Union de la Jeunesse Algérienne | Youth wing of the FLN | |
| National Union of Algerian Students | Students of the FLN | ||
 Egypt |
Union of Progressive Youth of Egypt | Youth wing of the Progressive National Unionist Party | [9] |
 Iraq |
Iraqi Democratic Youth Federation | Youth wing of the Iraqi Communist Party | [9] |
| General Union of Students in Iraqi Republic | |||
 Israel |
Young Communist League of Israel | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Israel, afilliated with hadash and the Joint List | [9] |
 Lebanon |
Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth | Youth wing of the Lebanese Communist Party | [9] |
 Libya |
National Youth Organization of Libya | ||
 Bahrain |
Shabeeba Society of Bahrain | Youth wing of the Progressive Democratic Tribune | [9] |
 Morocco |
Istiqlal Party Youth | Youth wing of the Istiqlal Party | |
| USFP Jeunesse Ittihadiya | Youth wing of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces | ||
| Jeunesse Socialiste | Youth wing of the Party of Progress and Socialism | ||
 Palestine |
General Union of Palestine Students | [9] | |
| Palestinian Democratic Youth Union | Youth wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine | [9] | |
 Syria |
Union of Democratic Youth of Syria-Khaled Baghdash | Youth wing of the Syrian Communist Party | [9] |
| Syrian Democratic Youth Union | Youth wing of the Syrian Unified Communist Party | ||
| Revolutionary Youth Union | Youth wing of the Ba'ath Party | ||
 Kuwait |
Democratic Youth Union | Youth wing of the KPM |
Former members
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Afghanistan - Democratic Youth Organization of Afghanistan
Albania - Bashkimi i Rinisë së Punës së Shqipërisë- Argentina - Juventud Intrasigente Argentina
- Argentina - Juventud Socialista Auténtica
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Australia - Eureka Youth League.svg.png.webp)
Belgium - Graffiti Jeugendsdienst- Belgium - Jeunesse Communiste de Belgique
- Bolivia - Confederación Universitaria Boliviana
- Brazil - Juventude do PCB
Bulgaria - Dimitrov Komsomol.svg.png.webp)
Byelorussian SSR - Leninist Communist Youth Union of Belarus
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)
Grenada - Maurice Bishop Youth Movement
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
Jamaica - Young Communist League of the Workers' Party (Workers Party of Jamaica)
Japan - Democratic Youth League of Japan
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
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
Saudi Arabia - Union of Democratic Youth in Saudi[12]
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
- McDuffie, Erik S (2011). Sojourning for freedom. Duke University Press. p. 247. ISBN 978-0-8223-9440-2.
- Richard Felix Staar, Foreign policies of the Soviet Union, Hoover Press, 1991, ISBN 0-8179-9102-6, p.84
- 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
- "ΡΙΚ και υπόλοιπα κανάλια «δεν είδαν» την 20η Συνέλευση της ΠΟΔΝ". Dialogos. 4 December 2019.
- "Approved Political Declaration Of the 19th Assembly of WFDY (1).pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
- "Members". wfdy.org. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016.
- United States Congress, House Committee on Un-American Activities (1956), Soviet Total War: "Historic Mission" of Violence and Deceit, 1–2, U.S. Government Printing Office, pp. 589–90
- Lynch, Maicol David (4 December 2019). "CPUSA youth leader greets WFDY meeting in Cyprus". Communist Party USA.
- Matthiesen, Toby (August 2020). "The Cold War and the Communist Party of Saudi Arabia, 1975–1991". Journal of Cold War Studies. MIT Press. 22 (3): 42. doi:10.1162/jcws_a_00950. ISSN 1531-3298.
External links
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