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On April 23, 2024, a landmark meeting of the General Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly was held in Moscow. The general meeting of all members of the Assembly, as the Supreme Body of the International Union of Non-Governmental Organizations "Eurasian Peoples' Assembly", decided to change the name of the organization.
Today the Assembly has hundreds of members of non-governmental organizations in 53 countries around the world. The meeting was held in a hybrid format - offline and online. As a result of a general vote, the organization is now called the “Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly”.
Andrey Belyaninov, Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly: “Recently, our partners from African countries are increasingly insistent that we rename the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly into the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly. We share their desire to not only be involved in individual events held together, but also to become active participants in all the statutory activities of the organization.
We submit to the decision of the General Assembly the issue of renaming the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly into the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly”.
According to its Charter, the General Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly takes place once every four years, but the meeting on April 23, 2024 became extraordinary and the key point on the agenda was precisely one of the most important points that determines the modern vector of development and expansion of international relations.
Grigory Karasin, Member of the Supreme Advisory Council of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs:
“The Russia-Africa Summit was successfully held in St. Petersburg; our relations with the continent received a solid new impetus. African countries have demonstrated their commitment to cooperation with Russia and their rejection of attempts by Washington and its satellites to dictate their will to sovereign states. Our President noted that: “Russia and Africa are marked by an innate desire to defend true sovereignty, the right to their own original path of development in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres.”
Africa is one of the most promising regions in the world. According to the UN, the population in sub-Saharan Africa will double by the 50th year of this century. Think about it!
It is expected that the region's economy will develop at an accelerated pace; it will create one of the most capacious markets in the world. Parliamentarians are actively working to strengthen Russia’s position on the continent; cooperation through friendship between the Federation Council and the State Duma with the Parliaments of African states is expanding, and the international parliamentary conference “Russia – Africa” is being successfully held. I am confident that work through non-governmental organizations will also become an important tool for developing partnerships, and the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly will become an effective public platform that will unite the peoples of two continents.”
In the modern conditions of the formation of a multipolar world, the tasks of multi-vector public diplomacy are increasingly expanding. Its role is to capture new trends in uniting peoples, actively develop diplomatic relations, and strengthen multilateral cooperation at the international level.
Alexander Shkolnik, Deputy Secretary of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Coordination Council for International Cooperation of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation:
“Seven years ago, the Civic Chamber was at the origins of the establishment of the Assembly. The geopolitical situation in the world has changed significantly during this time and continues to change rapidly. Our country has always acted as the guardian and guarantor of peace on the planet, strictly following the Charter and resolutions of the United Nations. In the face of confrontation with the collective West, which is trying to impose its illegitimate, sometimes even gangster, rules of the game, we understand that we need to look for new approaches to establishing international contacts. These approaches are closely related to public diplomacy and the establishment of direct horizontal connections between Russian and foreign non-governmental organizations.”
Public diplomacy in the modern conditions of the emerging multipolar world is increasingly promoting the consolidation of social forces and all participants in the international community, playing a significant role in ensuring trust and mutual understanding between states and peoples.
The international community, as an important unifying resource, today faces serious challenges to intensify integration processes and search for new models of cooperation in the countries of Greater Eurasia.
Representatives of African states who attended the meeting of the General Assembly expressed satisfaction with the decision taken not just to change the name of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, but also with the possible emergence of new models of cooperation.
Sempore Vital PLACID, Attaché for Culture and Education of the Embassy of Burkina Faso (Burkina Faso): “We express our deep gratitude to the Assembly for your attention and support. By reorienting your goals and statutory objectives, considering the conditions for the formation of a multipolar world, by opening up to Africa you show your need for a constructive partnership. We are grateful to all members of the meeting and higher authorities and are ready for cooperation.”
In addition to changing the name of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, a number of issues were put on the agenda of the General Assembly meeting: the outcomes of the organization’s activities in 2023 and plans for 2024; approval of the new edition of the Assembly Charter; about the members of the Supreme Advisory Council; on the election of the Chairperson of the General Council; about members of the General Council of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly and others. Also, awards were given to a number of members and partners of the organization who took an active part in the implementation of the statutory tasks of the Assembly at a broad international level. The most active ones were awarded Certificates of Honor.
Speaking about the future development of the organization, Andrei Belyaninov, the Assembly leader, highlighted the areas that will be given priority attention:
“What is called “public diplomacy” is, first of all, humanitarian cooperation. The words about traditional family values, about the fact that many people on Earth do not accept their desecration, this licentiousness, this Satanism, are being heard louder and louder. We need to work with this - this is probably the most important thing. And the most important thing is working with our youth. Did you notice that people who came for awards are quite experienced and had seen life even; but there were very, very few young people? Therefore, this is a twofold task, which we need to solve not only in the format of Eurasia, but also in Africa.”
