World Federation of Democratic Youth
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The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) is an international youth organization, and has historically characterized itself as left-wing and anti-imperialist. WFDY was founded in London, United Kingdom, 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 Federation was mostly sponsored and influenced by the Soviet Union and the organization mostly united youths from the Eastern Bloc and Non-Aligned 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.
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. The conference adopted a pledge for peace. The WFDY was an indirect successor of the World Youth Congress Movement of the 1930s, a popular front of youth of a broad range of political tendencies, from religious to secular, liberal, socialist, and communist, which attempted to advocate a progressive programme and promote world peace.
Shortly after the 1945 World Youth Conference, 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. 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.
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). Both the WFDY and IUS vocally criticized the Marshall Plan, supported the Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 and the new people's republics in eastern Europe. They opposed the Korean War.
The main event of the WFDY became the World Festival of Youth and Students, a large-scale political and cultural celebration which aimed to promote 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 western bloc could meet youth involved in the campaign 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, Vladimir Putin, 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 1945Not 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 idlenessWe 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. During the Assembly, leadership and a General Council are elected and an organizational declaration is approved.
Member organizations
Africa
| Country | Name | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | Juventude do Movimento Popular da Libertação de Angola | Youth wing of MPLA | |
| Benin | Organization of Revolutionary Youth (OJRB) | ||
| Independent Socialist Youth Union (USJIB) | |||
| Burundi | JRR Burundi | ||
| Cape Verde | Youth of PAICV | Youth wing of PAICV | |
| Comoros | Front of Socialist Youth (FSY) | ||
| Congo | UJS Congo | ||
| Congo, Dem. Rep. | PPRD Youth League | Youth wing of the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy | |
| Eritrea | National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students | ||
| Ethiopia | Ethiopian Youth League | ||
| Ghana | Democratic Youth League of Ghana | ||
| African Youth Command | |||
| Guinea Bissau | African Youth Amílcar Cabral | Youth wing of PAICG | |
| Lesotho | LYF Lesotho | ||
| Madagascar | KDTM Madagascar | ||
| Malawi | LYM Malawi | ||
| YASED Malawi | |||
| Mozambique | Mozambican Youth Organisation | Youth wing of FRELIMO | |
| Namibia | SWAPO Party Youth League | Youth wing of SWAPO | |
| Namibia National Students Organisation (NANSO) | |||
| Nigeria | National Youth Council of Nigeria | ||
| National Youth Council of the Ogoni People (NYCOP) | |||
| Sao Tome | JML São Tomé and Príncipe | ||
| Senegal | Mouvement de la Jeunesse Démocratique | Youth wing of the Democratic League/Movement for the Labour Party | |
| Democratic Youth Union Alboury Ndiaye | Youth wing of the Party of Independence and Work | ||
| Sierra Leone | SFYO Sierra Leone | ||
| South Africa | African National Congress Youth League | Youth wing of the African National Congress | |
| South African Students Congress | |||
| Young Communist League of South Africa | Youth wing of the South African Communist Party | ||
| Sudan | Sudanese Youth Union | Youth wing of the Sudanese Communist Party | |
| Tanzania | Umoja Wa Vijana | Youth wing of Chama Cha Mapinduzi | |
| Zambia | United National Independence Party Youth League | Youth wing of the United National Independence Party | |
| Zimbabwe | ZANU-PF Youth League | Youth wing of ZANU-PF | |
| Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union (ZICOSU) |
Asia and the Pacific
Europe and North America
Latin America and Caribbean
| Country | Name | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Federación Juvenil Comunista[es] | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Argentina | |
| Barbados | League of Progressive Youth | ||
| Bolivia | Juventud Comunista de Bolivia | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Bolivia | |
| Brazil | Juventude Comunista Avançando | Youth wing of the Polo Comunista Luiz Carlos Prestes | |
| União da Juventude Comunista | Youth wing of the Brazilian Communist Party | ||
| União da Juventude Socialista | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Brazil | ||
| Chile | Juventudes Comunistas de Chile | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Chile | |
| Colombia | Colombian Communist Youth | Youth wing of the Colombian Communist Party | |
| Costa Rica | Juventud Frente Amplio | Youth wing of the Broad Front (Costa Rica) | |
| Cuba | Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Cuba | |
| Ecuador | Juventud Comunista del Ecuador | Youth wing of the Communist Party of Ecuador | |
| Juventud Socialista Ecuatoriana | Youth wing of the Socialist Party of Ecuador | ||
| El Salvador | Farabundo Martí Youth | Youth wing of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front | |
| Guatemala | Juventud URNG | Youth wing of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity | |
| 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 | ||
| Nicaragua | Juventud Sandinista 19 de Julio | Youth wing of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional | |
| Panama | JPR Panama | ||
| 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 | |
| United Socialist Party of Venezuela Youth | Youth wing of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela |
North Africa and Middle East
Former members
- Afghanistan - Democratic Youth Organization of Afghanistan
- People's Socialist Republic of Albania - Bashkimi i Rinisë së Punës së Shqipërisë
- Argentina - Juventud Intrasigente Argentina
- Argentina - Juventud Socialista Auténtica
- Australia - Eureka Youth League
- Belgium - Graffiti Jeugendsdienst
- Belgium - Jeunesse Communiste de Belgique
- Bolivia - Confederación Universitaria Boliviana
- Brazil - Juventude do PCB
- Bulgaria - Dimitrov Communist Youth Union
- Byelorussian SSR - Leninist Communist Youth Union of Belarus
- Cambodia - People's Revolutionary Youth Union of Kampuchea
- Cameroon - Jeunesse Démocratique du Cameroun
- 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 - Union of Czech Youth
- Czechoslovakia - Union of Slovak Youth
- Czechoslovakia - Czechoslovak Youth Union
- Czechoslovakia - Czechoslovak Socialist Youth Union
- 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 - Føroyskir Sosialistar
- Finland - Democratic Youth League of Finland
- Finland - Finnish Union of Democratic Pioneers
- Germany - Socialist Youth League Karl Liebknecht
- 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)
- Morocco - Istiqlal Party Youth
- 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
- 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
- Ba'athist Syria - Revolutionary Youth Union
- Ba'athist Syria - Union of Democratic Youth of Syria-Khaled Baghdash
- Ba'athist Syria - Syrian Democratic Youth Union
- Tunisia - Destourian Youth
- Turkey - İlerici Gençler Derneği
- Ukraine - Komsomol of Ukraine
- 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
- Yugoslavia - League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia
Observers
- Youth for Communist Rebirth In France (Youth of the Pole of Communist Rebirth in France)
- 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
- 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
- World Youth Congress Movement - the 1930s precursor to the WFDY