Introduction
The X BRICS Youth Summit 2024 was a landmark international gathering of young leaders, students, entrepreneurs, and activists from the BRICS member states. Held under Russia’s BRICS Chairmanship in 2024, the summit marked a historic milestone as the first Youth Summit to convene representatives from the expanded BRICS group of ten countries.
The event provided a dynamic platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and the co-creation of practical initiatives aimed at strengthening youth cooperation across the Global South. Participants engaged in intensive discussions on shared challenges and opportunities, culminating in the adoption of a formal Declaration that outlined concrete proposals for future collaboration.
Purpose and Objectives
The primary purpose of the summit was to foster meaningful dialogue among young people from BRICS countries on issues of mutual interest and to develop actionable proposals for deepening humanitarian, educational, entrepreneurial, scientific, and social cooperation.
Key objectives included:
- Creating a space for open discussion between youth representatives aged 18–35 from all BRICS member states.
- Reviewing best practices in youth policy and cooperation among the participating countries.
- Developing joint initiatives and recommendations to be presented to the BRICS leaders at the XVI BRICS Summit in Kazan (October 2024).
- Strengthening people-to-people ties and mutual understanding across the expanded BRICS community.
Location & Host
The summit took place in the city of Ulyanovsk, located on the banks of the Volga River in the Russian Federation. Ulyanovsk was selected for its strong infrastructure, experience in hosting international youth events, and its reputation as a region that actively supports youth development and international cooperation.
The event was organized under the auspices of Russia’s BRICS Chairmanship by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), in partnership with the Roscongress Foundation, the Russia–BRICS Project Office for International Youth Cooperation, the Government of the Ulyanovsk Region, and the regional Ministry of Youth Development.
Participating Countries
For the first time, the BRICS Youth Summit brought together young representatives from all ten BRICS member states following the group’s expansion:
Brazil
Russia
India
China
South Africa
Egypt
Ethiopia
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Iran
Thematic Tracks and Areas of Dialogue
The programme was structured around five priority thematic tracks. Each track featured panel discussions, master classes, workshops, and working group sessions led by experts and youth representatives from the member countries:
Education, Science and Training
Discussions focused on strengthening educational cooperation, expanding academic mobility, enhancing vocational training and skills development, and leveraging existing platforms such as the BRICS Network University and the BRICS Alliance for Cooperation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
Youth Entrepreneurship
Participants explored ways to support young entrepreneurs, promote cross-border business opportunities, facilitate networking, and create favourable conditions for youth-led startups and innovation-driven enterprises within the BRICS space.
Science, Technology and Innovation
This track addressed digital literacy, scientific collaboration, the responsible use of emerging technologies (including artificial intelligence), and the creation of joint research platforms and innovation ecosystems accessible to young scientists and innovators.
Youth Social Work and Volunteering
Delegates shared best practices in community service and volunteering, discussed mechanisms to increase youth participation in social initiatives, and proposed the organisation of annual conferences for active volunteers from BRICS countries.
Health and Sports
The track emphasised the promotion of healthy lifestyles, increased physical activity among youth, and the development of partnerships for research, knowledge exchange, and innovative approaches in sport and health.
Significance of the Event
The X BRICS Youth Summit represented more than a series of meetings; it constituted a significant step toward the deeper integration of young people from the expanded BRICS community. By bringing together representatives from ten countries for the first time, the summit symbolised the growing inclusiveness and ambition of BRICS youth cooperation.
The event reinforced the role of youth as drivers of innovation, resilience, social development, and mutual understanding. The networks, friendships, and collaborative projects initiated in Ulyanovsk continue to contribute to the broader BRICS people-to-people agenda and to the long-term goal of building a more multipolar, inclusive, and cooperative international order.
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