Past Events

Press conference on the Results of the Kazan OIC Youth Capital 2022 International Programme

On December 15, a Press Conference was held on the results of the Kazan OIC Youth Capital 2022 international programme.

Speakers were:

- Timur Suleymanov - Minister of Youth Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan

- Taha Ayhan - President of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF)

- Dilbar Sadykova - Head of the Kazan OIC Youth Capital 2022 Executive Directorate, Chairwoman of the Academy of Youth Diplomacy

Within the framework of the international programme , 10 international events were held, with the participation of about 1000 delegates from 70 countries.

For the whole year, Kazan Youth Capital received more than 170,000 views of the kazan.oicyouthcapital.com website, social media coverage - more than 800,000 users, more than 3,000 articles in the media, including foreign publications (CNN Turkiye, Khuriyat, Al Arabiya, Times Indonesia, Al Medina, Royal News, etc.)

Speaking at a news conference, Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) President Taha Ayhan noted that this year Tatarstan was marking the 1100th anniversary of the adoption of Islam by Volga Bulgaria, and this also contributed to the selection of Kazan as a Youth Capital.

"Throughout the year, Kazan OIC Youth Capital 2022 created a unique platform that brought together young people, policymakers, international organizations, young leaders and experts in different fields to exchange experiences. Thousands of people from more than 70 countries, including ministers, representatives of international organizations, young entrepreneurs and young people from the field of culture, arts and science, participated in the events held throughout the year,” he said.

"We attach great importance to the exchange of ideas on how young people can effectively and meaningfully participate in agendas focused on global needs. This program created an essential opportunity for the Muslim youth, who will soon constitute one-third of the world's youth population, to share their rich heritage and culture with each other from a global perspective. The Kazan Global Youth Summit, organized as a part of the events, was a valuable platform where decision-makers, civil society representatives and youth leaders came together to discuss better, happier and safer youth policies and share experiences. We believe that the summit enhanced efforts to identify common road maps on issues such as inequality of opportunity, migration and intercultural dialogue,” Ayhan added.

Last year, the ICYF secured consultative status in the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), something Ayhan said "enabled us to be the voice of Muslim youth and encouraged our work to empower young people, provide them with opportunities, develop skills and facilitate networking, participation and contribution. As the ICYF, we believe that it is important for young people to be involved in decision-making processes for their future and to increase cooperation with international organizations and governments. As the ICYF, we believe that harnessing the talent of young people, who play a fundamental role in the progress of their countries, is a sine qua non for socio-economic development.”

For his part, Timur Suleymanov, Tatarstan’s minister for youth affairs, said the events presented an opportunity for youth from different countries to meet and actively participate in them, noting that throughout the years, debates were held on migration, health care, security and challenges in digital fields. "The legacy of this year’s events will be a long-term program for international cooperation between the youth,” he said.

Dilbar Sadykova presented the last event within the international programme - Kazan OIC Youth Capital 2022 Closing Ceremony and OIC Youth Leaders Awarding Ceremony with participation of ministers for youth and education of the OIC countries, representatives of international organisations, youth leaders from more than 30 countries.