May 14-16. I Forum of Youth Parliaments of the Siberian Federal District took place in Tomsk

On May 14 young “MPs” from 11 Siberian cities gathered in Tomsk to discuss the challenges facing youth parliamentarism, explore common grounds, share experience, and to work out the image of a future youth parliament.

Tomsk was chosen as the Forum venue due to its highly developed parliamentary practice, self-consciousness of the public, and legal conscience.
Boris Maltsev, Speaker of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma, opened the plenary session of the Forim. He reminded young parliamentarians that the job they had chosen is not at all easy.

“Such work imposes a high responsibility on those who take it on. The responsibility to the ordinary people rather than the bosses because people entrust you with tackling their problems and even deciding their future. You must all the time keep it in mind,” he said.

On the first day the participants to the Forum discussed the proposals to enhance the involvement of youth parliaments in the country’s socio-political environment, took part in the round-table conference “Practical tasks on implementation of effective Youth Parliament model”, worked in groups to develop that model.

The I Forum of Youth Parliaments of the Siberian Federal District produced several important results among which the Cooperation Agreement and the framework of the Coordination Council of youth advisory bodies in the Siberian Federal District adopted by seven youth parliaments (from Tomsk, Chita, Irkutsk, and Kemerovo Oblasts, Buriatia and Khakassia Republics, and Altai Territory).

The Agreement is signed to establish lasting cooperation, share experience, skills, and projects as well as to allow youth parliaments in the Siberian Federal District to express their collective opinion on a wide range of issues.

As for the Coordination Council of Youth Parliaments, it is a democratic body elected for the term of two years, one representative from each region. The decisions by the Council are presented in the form of recommendations. The Coordination Council will become active as soon as it is approved by all parties during the meeting of regional youth parliaments. The Council will convene at least once every six months, and the members of the Council will communicate online.

Vitaly Khramushin, Chairman of the Public Youth Chamber at the State Duma of the Russian Federation Federal Assembly thanked the organizers of the Forum referring to it as an important landmark since it was the first such Forum in the Siberian Federal District, and, what is more, it resulted in the adoption of two important documents.

“Everyone could see how efficient is the Tomsk Oblast Youth Parliament. It took young “MPs” in Tomsk three years to achieve the results which other parliaments normally produce over a period of 10 years,” he said.

Yevgeny Doroshenko, Chairman of the Tomsk Oblast Youth Parliament, said that the Forum has shown that the youth is very good at working in a constructive and productive way. “We have not only got to know one another and shared experience but also formulated positions of the parliaments. It will help us a lot in tackling various issues.”

The Legislative Duma of Tomsk Oblast

May 14-16. I Forum of Youth Parliaments of the Siberian Federal District took place in Tomsk