RELEASE: Letter from Russian Sherpa to the G20 about the Y20 Summit

On Tuesday, January 29th, 2013, the Russian Sherpa to the G20 (Ms. Ksenia Yudaeva) sent a memo to all G20 sherpas regarding the official youth event to the G20 Summit. A copy of the letter is provided below.

Ms. Ksenia Yudaeva, Russian Sherpa to the G20.

Dear colleagues,

As highlighted in Russian G20 Presidency's Outreach Strategy, 2013 will be an opportunity for the Russian Presidency to showcase the innovation and energy of young people. Thus, we would like to provide you with some information regarding the only official G20 youth event under the Russian Presidency - Y20 Russia 2013. This Youth Summit will take place in Saint Petersburg between the 18th and the 21st of June 2013 and we consider it a significant part of the outreach dialogue of the Russian Presidency.

Y20 Russia 2013 is being organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs in conjunction with the world's leading organization that engages young people in diplomacy and dialogue - International Diplomatic Engagement Association (IDEA). The Russian G20 Presidency welcomes collaboration with this Association, which has youth-led national groups in every member nation of the G20 (please see the attached file), and recommends to work with and support the Association and its’ national organizations in their recruitment efforts for the Y20 Russia 2013. Please note that in some countries the recruitment process has already been launched.

We would like to highlight that Y20 Russia 2013 is the only official youth summit supported by the Russian Presidency. We are aware of the fact that International Youth Diplomacy League (IYDL), a group led by Ksenia Khoruzhnikova, has been contacting universities across Russia and, it would seem, in other G20 countries too, as a means of profiling their own, profit-focused program for 2013 which they are calling the G20 Youth Summit. Allow me to state, that this organization and this person absolutely do not have any association with the Russian Government or the Russian Presidency of the G20.

For additional information about the Y20 Russia 2013 please visit our official web-site: www.y20russia.ru. Y20 Russia 2013 Secretariat can also provide you with more details on the summit, so do not hesitate to contact Mr Roman Chukov (Head of Y20 Russia 2013 Secretariat, roman@chukov.org), and Ms Olga Peshekhonova (coordinator of youth formats in the Russian Sherpa Office, olga.peshekhonova@gmail.com) for further information.

Best regards,

Ksenia

Attachment: List of IDEA network partners.