International Youth Economic Forum Presented in Moscow
Today the TASS news agency hosted a press conference on the development of youth entrepreneurship in Russia. Speakers and journalists discussed the implementation of the 'You Are An Entrepreneur' project and the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum hosting the International Youth Economic Forum (IYEF).
Among the speakers were Maxim Parshin, Director of the Department for the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses and Competition of the Ministry for Economic Development of the Russian Federation; Alexander Bugaev, Head of Rosmolodezh; Armen Khachatrian, Deputy Director of the Roscongress Foundation; Anatoly Zorin, Director of the Russian Centre for Supporting Young Entrepreneurs; and Ksenia Razuvaeva, Director of Rospatriotcentr.
Opening the press conference, Maxim Parshin, Director of the Department for the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses and Competition of the Ministry for Economic Development, noted that Russian government sets a challenge to multiply the share of small and medium-sized businesses in the country’s economy. The primary way to achieve this is to involve young people into the entrepreneurship. “Together with our partners, including Rosmolodezh, we are working to develop infrastructure for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in the regions. All this work is built into the service model and implies access of entrepreneurs and those who just started thinking about their own business to the basic services necessary for a successful start and further development. Educational service as a part of the ‘You Are An Entrepreneur’ programme is also a critical part of the process,” stated Maxim Parshin.
Alexander Bugaev, Head of Rosmolodezh, also pointed out the need for addressing the business community. “Every entrepreneur is a locomotive that pulls the economy forward, creates jobs, and takes on social and tax liabilities.” Launching the ‘You Are An Entrepreneur’ programme in 2018, Alexander Bugaev emphasized that this would be an effective method of passing on knowledge and advice to young entrepreneurs. However, he claims that this is not the only way to work and interact with the youth entrepreneurial community. The government also guides the foundation of a permanent sustainable youth platform at the largest economic and investment forums (President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin issued relevant instructions on the side-lines of SPIEF 2017). Alexander Bugaev reported that in May Rosmolodezh together with the Roscongress Foundation and public and volunteer organizations are to hold the International Youth Economic Forum at SPIEF 2018.
Anatoly Zorin, Director of the Russian Centre for Supporting Young Entrepreneurs, provided further details about the IYEF programme. He mentioned that it includes more than ten events of various formats for over a thousand young participants. The forum's agenda includes the search for ways to boost the youth economic activity, their contribution to Russia’s GDP as well as the involvement in solving global issues.
In addition, IYEF will host discussions on international cooperation within the youth community; in particular, the participants will talk about the cooperation among young entrepreneurs under G20 as well as the prospects for attracting venture investments to the Russian market.
The Forum will also host the awards ceremony of the 'My Country – My Russia’ national contest for original youth projects and educational projects for the socioeconomic development of the Russian regions.
Armen Khachatrian, Deputy Director of the Roscongress Foundation, clarified the vision for engaging young entrepreneurs in the global economic agenda. “The most valuable thing for young people visiting the Forum is the opportunity to participate in the largest economic event on a par with the leadership icons, network with like-minded people and meet potential investors.”
Ksenia Razuvaeva, Director of Rospatriotcentr, in turn, spoke about the developing trend of corporate volunteering, which will also be on the table at IYEF. “This is an important tool for maintaining social commitment of a company and forming sound relationships with the state and the local communities.” This topic is especially relevant in the context of the Volunteer’s Year in Russia.
The project ‘You Are An Entrepreneur’ has been implemented since 2009 by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation in over 70 regions of the country.
The International Youth Economic Forum, organized by the Roscongress Foundation and the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, will take place on 26 May 2018. The programme of the Forum includes more than 10 panel sessions where young specialists will discuss economic and political issues with government officials, leaders of international and Russian business, as well as with the prominent international experts and scientists.
The programme of the International Youth Economic Forum is available on the official website of the event: https://www.forumspb.com/programme/
