Russian team of young leaders is heading for Junior 8 Summit – 2009

 

On July 3, 2009, the Russian Junior 8 team met with Alexey Golovan, Chair of the Russian Association of Child Rights Ombudspersons and the Moscow City Child Rights Ombudsman, as part of its preparation for the forthcoming youth summit in Italy. Alexey Golovan informed the young people about the results of the recent Ombuds for Children Summit and shared the recommendations drafted by the Summit participants. The O8 Summit, which was held in Italy on 25-26 June in anticipation of the G8 Summit, focused on the impact of the global financial crisis and climate change on children worldwide.

After a meeting with Golovan, the Russian team took off for Rome, the venue of the Junior 9 Summit - 2009. The Junior 8 summit is traditionally organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) jointly with representatives of the country currently holding the G8 presidency.

The Russian Junior 8 team consists of four high school students from the Southern Federal District identified through a thorough competitive selection procedure arranged by the District authorities in the form of a national contest. In order to gain the privileged right to represent Russia at the Junior 8 Summit, the young people had to go through several qualifying rounds, including writing an essay and participating in training sessions, group discussions and interviews. In late May 2009, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation selected the following four winners based on the results of the contest:

1. Angelika ISAYEVA, 17 years old, the city of Sochi, Krasnodarsky territory.

2. Kseniya KOZHINA, 17 years old, the town of Volzhsky, Volgograd region,

3. Roman CHUKOV, 16 years old, the city of Stavropol, Stavropolsky territory

4. Yulia KHULAYEVA, 17 years old, the city of Elista, Republic of Kalmykia

They are expected to discuss with their peers from G8 and emerging countries the same issues as those on the G8 Summit agenda, including global warming and climate change, poverty and development, child survival and infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, the global economic crisis. The Youth Summit discussions with be held parallel to the G8 Summit. Based on the results of their discussions, young people will draft their recommendations for the G8 leaders reflecting their common ideas and opinions on the problems raised and ways to address them.

"I want to find new friends among young people from different countries and, through joint efforts, bring across to the world community the pressing need to achieve consensus on global problems for the purpose of successful interaction, coordination and bright future worldwide,” said Roman Chukov, a member of the Russian Junior 8 team.

UNICEF partner Amway supports Russian J8 team.

About Junior 8

The Junior 8 Summit is a youth event held parallel to the G8 Summit of the world leaders organized by G8 host country and UNICEF. J8 aims to advance young people’s understanding of contemporary global issues and provide a platform for them to articulate and present their opinions and views at a face-to-face meeting with some of the most powerful leaders in the world.

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Photo:
© UNICEF/2009
Russian J8 delegation meet Child Ombudsman Alezey Golovan