World Federation of Democratic Youth



The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) is a leftist youth organization, recognized by the United Nations as an international youth non-governmental organization. WFDY describes itself as an "anti-imperialist, left-wing" organisation. It was founded in London in 1945 as a broad international youth movement, organized in the context of the end of the Second World War with the aim of uniting youth from the Allied powers behind an anti-fascist platform that was broadly pro-peace, anti-nuclear war, expressing friendship between youth of the capitalist and socialist or so-called Eastern Bloc countries. The WFDY Headquarters are in Budapest, Hungary. The main event of WFDY is the World Festival of Youth and Students. The 17th WFDY was held in South Africa in 2010, hosted by the African National Congress Youth League (ANC YL).

History
On November 10, 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 encourage the fight against fascism by the youth of the allied countries. The Conference brought together, for the first time in the history of the international youth movement, representatives of more than 30 million young people of diverse different political ideologies and religious beliefs from 63 nations. It adopted a pledge for peace.

Shortly after, with the onset of the Cold War and Churchill's Iron Curtain speech, the organization was condemned by the United States as a "Moscow front." Many of the founding organizations quit, leaving mainly youth from socialist countries, 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 WFYD'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 Two (after his work with WFDY he was appointed head 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 Democracies in Europe. They opposed the Korean War.

The main event of the WFDY became the World Festival of Youth and Students, a massive political and cultural celebration for peace and friendship between the youth of the world. Most, but not all, of the early festivals were held in socialist countries in Europe. During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s the WFDY's festivals were one of the few places where young people from the so-called "Free World" could meet youth struggling against Apartheid from South Africa, or militant youth from Vietnam, Palestinian, Cuba and other countries. Famous people who participated in festivals included Angela Davis, Yuri Gagarin, Yasser Arafat, Fidel Castro, Ruth First, Mary Cotton and Jan Myrdal.

When the USSR and the Eastern Bloc collapsed, 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.

Africa

 * Juventude do Movimento Popular da Libertação de Angola, Angola (Youth of MPLA)
 * National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students, Eritrea (NUEYS)
 * Ethiopian Youth League, Ethiopia
 * Organização da Juventude Mozambicana, Mozambique (Youth of FRELIMO)
 * SWAPO Youth League, Namibia (Youth of South-West Africa People's Organisation)
 * Mouvement de la Jeunesse Démocratique, Senegal (Youth of Democratic League - Movement for the Labour Party
 * African National Congress Youth League, South Africa (Youth of African National Congress)
 * South African Student Congress, South Africa
 * Sudanese Youth Union, Sudan (Youth of Sudanese Communist Party)
 * Umoja Wa Vijana, Tanzania (Youth of Chama Cha Mapinduzi)
 * Union de la Jeunesse Démocratique Alboury Ndiaye, Senegal (Youth of Party of Independence and Work)
 * Unión de Juventud de Saguia el Hamra y Río de Oro, Western Sahara (Youth of Polisario Front)
 * United National Independent Party Youth League, Zambia (Youth of United National Independence Party)
 * ZANU-PF Youth League, Zimbabwe (Youth of Zanu-PF) - Vice President

Asia & Pacific

 * Resistance, Australia (Youth of Democratic Socialist Perspective and Socialist Alliance)
 * Inter University Students' Federation, Sri Lanka, (University Students in Sri Lanka)
 * Bangladesh Students Union, Bangladesh (Students of Communist Party of Bangladesh)
 * Bangladesh Youth Union, Bangladesh (Youth of Communist Party of Bangladesh)
 * Democratic Youth of Bhutan, Bhutan
 * Students Union of Bhutan, Bhutan
 * All Burmese Student’s Democratic Front, Burma
 * All Burma Student League, Burma
 * Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (Youth wing of the Workers Party of Korea)
 * All India Students Federation, India (Students of Communist Party of India)
 * All India Youth Federation, India (Youth of Communist Party of India)
 * All India Youth League, India (Youth of All India Forward Bloc)
 * Democratic Youth Federation of India, India (Youth of Communist Party of India (Marxist))
 * Tudeh Youth, Iran (Youth of Tudeh Party of Iran)
 * Democratic Youth League of Japan, Japan (Youth of Japanese Communist Party)
 * Japan League of Socialist Youth, Japan
 * Korean Youth League in Japan, Japan
 * 7th-term Hanchongryon (South Korean Federation of University Student Council), South Korea
 * Union of Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth, Laos (Youth of Lao People's Revolutionary Party)
 * All Nepal National Free Students Union, Nepal (Students of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist))
 * Democratic National Youth Federation, Nepal (Youth of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist))Vice President in HQ
 * Nepal National Youth Federation, Nepal (Youth of Communist Party of Nepal (United))
 * Pashthoonkhwa Students Organisation, Pakistan
 * ANAKBAYAN, Philippines
 * Communist Youth Federation, Sri Lanka (Youth of Communist Party of Sri Lanka)
 * Socialist Students Union, Sri Lanka (Students of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna)
 * Socialist Youth Union, Sri Lanka (Youth of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna)
 * Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, Vietnam (Youth of Communist Party of Vietnam)
 * Vietnamese Youth Federation, Vietnam

Europe & North America

 * Young Communist League Armenia, Armenia (Youth of Armenian Communist Party)
 * Young Communist League Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan (Youth of Azerbaijan Communist Party)
 * Kommunistische Jugend Österreich, Austria
 * Leninist Communist Youth Union of Belarus, Belarus (Youth of Party of Communists of Belarus)
 * COMAC, Belgium (Youth of the Workers' Party of Belgium)
 * Bulgarian Socialist Youth Union, Bulgaria
 * Young Communist League of Canada, Canada
 * Komunistický Svaz Mládeže, Czech Republic (Youth of Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia)
 * United Democratic Youth Organization, Cyprus (Youth of AKEL)
 * Kommunistisk Parti i Danmark - Ungdom, Denmark (Youth of Communist Party in Denmark)
 * Kommunistinen nuorisoliitto ry, Finland
 * Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France, France (Youth of French Communist Party)
 * Young Communist League of Georgia, Georgia
 * Freie Deutsche Jugend, Germany
 * Sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterjugend, Germany (Youth of German Communist Party)
 * Communist Youth of Greece, Greece (Youth of Communist Party of Greece)
 * Baloldali Front, Hungary (Youth of Workers Party)
 * Connolly Youth Movement, Ireland (Affiliated Youth wing of the Communist Party of Ireland)
 * Workers Party Youth, Ireland (Youth of Workers' Party)
 * Giovani Comuniste e Comunisti, Italy (Youth of Communist Refoundation Party)
 * Federazione Giovanile Comunisti Italiani, Italy (Youth of the Party of Italian Communists)
 * Ungkommunistene i Norge, Norway (Youth of Communist Party of Norway)
 * Norges Kommunistiske Ungdomsforbund, Norway
 * Juventude Comunista Portuguesa, Portugal (Youth of Portuguese Communist Party)
 * Союз Коммунистической Молодежи, Russian Federation (Youth of Communist Party of the Russian Federation)
 * Revolutionary Communist Youth League (Bolshevik), Russian Federation (Youth of RCWP-RPC)
 * Russian Communist Youth League, Russian Federation
 * Socialistický Zväz Mladých, Slovakia (Youth of Communist Party of Slovakia)
 * Collectives of Communist Youth, Spain (Youth of Partido Comunista de los Pueblos de España)
 * Col·lectius de Joves Comunistes - Joventut Comunista, Spain (Youth of Partit dels i les Comunistes de Catalunya)
 * Unión de Juventudes Comunistas de España, Spain (Youth of Communist Party of Spain)
 * Sveriges Kommunistiska Ungdomsförbund, Sweden (Youth of Communist Party of Sweden)
 * Young Communist League, Britain (Youth of Communist Party of Britain)
 * Young Socialists, Britain (Youth of Communist League)
 * Savez komunisticke omladine Jugoslavije, Serbia
 * Young Communist League, USA (Youth of Communist Party, USA)
 * Young Socialist Alliance, U.S. (Youth of Socialist Workers Party)
 * Türkiye Komünist Partili Öğrenciler, Türkiye (Youth of Communist Party of Turkey)

Latin America & Caribbean

 * Federación Juvenil Comunista, Argentina (Youth of Communist Party of Argentina)
 * League of Progressive Youth, Barbados
 * Juventud Comunista de Bolivia, Bolivia (Youth of Communist Party of Bolivia)
 * Juventude Revolucionaria 8 de Outubro, Brazil (Youth of MR-8)
 * Juventude do PDT, Brazil (Youth of Democratic Labour Party)
 * Juventude do PMDB, Brazil (Youth of Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement)
 * União da Juventude Comunista, Brazil (Youth of Brazilian Communist Party)
 * União da Juventude Socialista, Brazil (Youth of Communist Party of Brazil)
 * Juventude Socialista Brasileira, Brazil (Youth of Brazilian Socialist Party)
 * Juventudes Comunistas, Chile (Youth of Communist Party of Chile)
 * Juventud Comunista de Colombia, Colombia (Youth of Colombian Communist Party)
 * Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas, Cuba (Youth of Communist Party of Cuba)
 * Federación Estudiantes Universitarios, Ecuador
 * Juventud Socialista Ecuatoriana, Ecuador (Youth of Socialist Party of Ecuador)
 * Juventud del Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional, El Salvador (Youth of Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front)
 * Maurice Bishop Youth Movement, Grenada
 * Juventud URNG, Guatemala (Youth of URNG)
 * Guyana Youth and Students Movement, Guyana
 * Walter Rodney Youth Movement, Guyana
 * Juventud Popular Socialista, Mexico (Youth of Popular Socialist Party)
 * Juventud del FSLN, Nicaragua, (Youth of Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional)
 * Casa de la Juventud del Paraguay, Paraguay
 * Juventud Comunista Peruana, Peru (Youth of Peruvian Communist Party)
 * Juventud del Movimiento 26 de Marzo, Uruguay (Youth of 26 March Movement)
 * Juventud Comunista de Venezuela, Venezuela (Youth of Communist Party of Venezuela)

Middle East

 * Union de la Jeunesse Algérienne, Algeria (Youth of FLN)
 * National Union of Algerian Students, Algeria (Students of FLN)
 * Union of Progressive Youth of Egypt, Egypt (Youth of Progressive National Unionist Party)
 * Democratic Youth Federation of Iraq, Iraq (Youth of Iraqi Communist Party)
 * General Union of Students in Iraqi Republic, Iraq
 * Young Communist League of Israel, Israel (Youth of Communist Party of Israel)
 * Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth, Lebanon (Youth of Lebanese Communist Party)Vice President
 * Shabeeba Society of Bahrain, Bahrain (Youth of Progressive Democratic Tribune)
 * Istiqlal Party Youth, Morocco (Youth of Istiqlal Party)
 * USFP Jeunesse Ittihadiya, Morocco (Youth of Socialist Union of Popular Forces)
 * Jeunesse Socialiste, Morocco (Youth of Party of Progress and Socialism)
 * General Union of Palestine Students, Palestine
 * Palestinian Democratic Youth Union, Palestine, Youth of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
 * Union of Democratic Youth of Syria-Khaled Baghdash, Syria (Youth of Syrian Communist Party)
 * Youth Association of Kuwait, Kuwait

Former members

 * Democratic Youth Organization of Afghanistan
 * Juventud Intrasigente Argentina
 * Juventud Socialista Auténtica, Argentina
 * Eureka Youth League, Australia
 * Graffiti Jeugendsdienst, Belgium
 * Jeunesse Communiste de Belgique, Belgium
 * Confederación Universitaria Boliviana, Bolivia
 * Juventude do PCB, Brazil
 * Dimitrov Komsomol, Bulgaria
 * People's Revolutionary Youth Union of Kampuchea, Cambodia
 * Juventud de la Izquierda Cristiana de Chile
 * Juventud del MIR, Chile
 * Juventud Rebelde Miguel Enríquez, Chile
 * Unión de Jóvenes Socialistas, Chile
 * 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, Colombia
 * Juventud del Pueblo Costarriquense, Costa Rica
 * Juventudes Patrióticas, Costa Rica
 * Juventud Vanguardista Costarriquense, Costa Rica
 * Svaz Mládeže, Czechoslovakia
 * Juventud Revolucionaria Dominicana, Dominican Republic
 * Unión Democrática Orlando Martínez, Dominican Republic
 * Departamento Juvenil del Central de Trabajadores de Ecuador
 * Juventud Comunista de Ecuador
 * Asociación General de Estudiantes Universitarios de El Salvador
 * Færøske Socialister, Faroe Islands
 * Democratic Youth League of Finland
 * Finnish Union of Democratic Pioneers, Finland
 * Sozialistischer Jugendverband Karl Liebknecht, Germany
 * Greek Communist Youth (Internal), Greece
 * Union de la Jeunesse Communiste Guadeloupe
 * Union nationale des étudiants de france-Solidarité Etudiante, France
 * Juventud Patriótica del Trabajo, Guatemala
 * Young Socialist Movement, Guyana
 * Jeunesse Communiste de Haiti
 * Federación de la Juventud Comunista, Honduras
 * Revolutionary Communist Youth League, Iceland
 * Federazione Giovanile Comunista Italiana, Italy
 * Young Communist League of the Workers' Party (Workers Party of Jamaica), Jamaica
 * Jeunesse Communiste Luxembourgoise, Luxembourg
 * Union de la Jeunesse Communiste Martinique
 * Frente Juvenil Revolucionario, Mexico
 * Juventud Socialista de los Trabajadores, Mexico
 * Revolutionary Youth League (REVSOMOL), Mongolia
 * Algemeen Nederlands Jeugd Verbond, Netherlands
 * Juventud Sandista 19 de Julio, Nicaragua
 * Kommunista Ifjúsági Szövetség, Hungary
 * Juventud del PRD, Panama
 * Juventud Popular Revolucionaria, Panama
 * Federación Juvenil Comunista de Paraguay
 * CGTP Sección Juvenil, Peru
 * Juventud Aprista Peruana, Peru
 * Juventud Mariateguista, Peru
 * Związek Socjalistycznej Młodzieży Polskiej, Poland
 * Federación Universitaria para la Indpendencia, Puerto Rico
 * Juventud Comunista de Puerto Rico
 * Juventud Socialista de Puerto Rico
 * Federazione Giovanile Comunista San Marino
 * Congress of Sama Samaja Youth Leagues, Sri Lanka
 * Federation of Communist and Progressive Youth, Sri Lanka
 * Vanguard Youth Organization, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
 * National Youth Movement, Surinam
 * Ung Vänster, Sweden (1975–1992)
 * Jeunesse Communiste Suisse, Switzerland
 * İlerici Gençler Derneği, Turkey
 * Juventud Socialista del Uruguay
 * Committee of Youth Organizations of the USSR
 * Vsesouznyj Leninskij Kommunisticheskij Souz Molodezhi, USSR
 * Juventud Socialista-MEP, Venezuela
 * Union de la jeunesse congolaise, Congo-Brazzaville

Observing members

 * Youth for Communist Rebirth In France (Youth of the Pole of Communist Rebirth in France)
 * Communist Youth Movement (Youth of the New Communist Party of the Netherlands)
 * Communist Youth of Luxemburg (Refounded youth organisation of the Communist Party of Luxembourg), Luxembourg
 * Revolutionary Communist Youth (Youth organization of the Communist Party), Sweden

Members organizations

 * All Burma Students League
 * All Nepal National Free Students Union
 * ANC Youth League
 * Baloldali Front - Kommunista Ifjúsági Szövetség
 * Casa de la Juventud del Paraguay
 * Colectivos de Jóvenes Comunistas
 * Col·lectius de Joves Comunistes - Joventut Comunista
 * Democratic Youth Federation of India
 * Democratic Youth League of Japan
 * Freie Deutsche Jugend
 * General Union of Palestinian Students, UK Branch
 * Giovani Comuniste e Comunisti
 * Jeunesse Ittihadia, unclear whether it's the official page or not
 * Juventud Comunista Colombiana
 * Juventud Comunista de Venezuela
 * Juventude Comunista Portuguesa
 * Juventudes Comunistas de Chile
 * Juventude Socialista Brasileira
 * Juventude Socialista - PDT
 * Juventud Popular Socialista de Mexico
 * Juventud URNG
 * Kommunistinen nuorisoliitto ry
 * Kommunistische Jugend Österreichs
 * Komunistický svaz mládeže
 * Κομμουνιστική Νεολαία Ελλάδας
 * Kommunistisk Parti Danmark - Ungdom
 * Mouvement des Jeunes Communistes de France
 * National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students
 * Norges Kommunistiske Ungdomsforbund
 * Organização da Juventude Moçambicana, FRELIMO Youth
 * Resistance
 * Союз Коммунистической Молодежи
 * Savez komunisticke omladine Jugoslavije
 * South Africa Student Congress
 * Sozialistiche Deutsche ArbeiterJugend
 * Student Union of Bhutan
 * Sveriges Kommunistiska Ungdomsförbund
 * União da Juventude Socialista
 * Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas
 * Unión de Juventud de Saguia el Hamra y Río de Oro
 * Unión de Juventudes Comunistas de España
 * Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth
 * Workers Party Youth
 * Young Communist League, Britain
 * Young Communist League, Canada
 * Young Communist League, Israel
 * Young Communist League, USA

Previous member organizations

 * Juventud Aprista Peruana
 * Sinistra Giovanile
 * Ung Vänster
 * Vasemmistonuoret
 * Związek Socjalistycznej Młodzieży Polskiej, Gdynia unit
 * Union National des Étudiants de France

Pending

 * Youth for Communist Rebirth In France (JRCF)
 * COMAC (Youth of the Workers Party of Belgium)
 * Communistische Jongeren Beweging (Youth of the New Communist Party of the Netherlands)
 * Communist Youth of Luxemburg (Refounded youth organisation of the Communist Party of Luxembourg)

Other info

 * Collection of WFDY posters

اتحاد الشباب الديمقراطي العالمي Federació Mundial de la Joventut Democràtica Světová federace demokratické mládeže WFDY Weltbund der Demokratischen Jugend Παγκόσμια Ομοσπονδία Δημοκρατικών Νεολαιών Federación Mundial de la Juventud Democrática Monda Federacio de Demokratia Junularo Gazteri Demokratikoaren Mundu-Federakuntza fa:فدراسیون جهانی جوانان دموکرات Fédération mondiale de la jeunesse démocratique Federazione Mondiale della Gioventù Democratica הפדרציה העולמית של הנוער הדמוקרטי Demokratikus Ifjúsági Világszövetség Wereldfederatie van democratische jeugd 世界民主青年連盟 Verdenssambandet av Demokratisk Ungdom Światowa Federacja Młodzieży Demokratycznej Federação Mundial da Juventude Democrática Всемирная федерация демократической молодёжи Demokraattisen nuorison maailmanliitto Demokratisk Ungdoms Världsfederation Dünya Demokratik Gençlik Federasyonu 世界民主青年联盟