Russia honours 10 winners of BRICS and SCO Young Leaders Award

This year's BRICS and SCO Young Leaders Award in Kazan, received over 400 applications, including representatives of entrepreneurs, media influencers, researchers, and environmental activists.

Participants from 13 countries competed for the prize: Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the UAE. 

According to Dilbar Sadykova, Chairperson of the Academy of Youth Diplomacy, it was very difficult to decide on the winners.

"There were over eighty applications for one nomination. The jury was made up of representatives of all BRICS and SCO countries. Voting was anonymous. Both national and global achievements were taken into account"

Dilbar Sadykova Chairperson of the Academy of Youth Diplomacy

Anna Lisina, Editor-in-Chief of the portal, spoke on behalf of TV BRICS, an international media partner of the event. In her welcoming speech, she stressed that the capital of Tatarstan has become a centre of attraction for international events.

"In my opinion, this award cannot be called just an award ceremony. It is a vivid example of how states united not only by similar goals, but also by values, find a common language, points of contact through our youth"

Anna Lisina Editor-in-Chief of TV BRICS news portal

The winner in the category "Social Entrepreneur of the Year" was Madhish Parikh from the Indian state of Gujarat. He is the founder of one of the largest youth volunteer organisations in India. The objective of his project, aimed at achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, is to actively involve young people in public activities in the field of health care and disaster relief.

Madhish came to Russia for the eleventh time, but this was his first time in Kazan. He was most impressed by the history and culture of the city, as well as the kindness of the local people. In an exclusive commentary for TV BRICS, the entrepreneur explained what he remembered about the award.

"The most impressive thing for me on this award is this initiative. It is just not about to receive the award, but to be with all those people who have the will and desire to work in the BRICS agenda and believe in BRICS. It gives inspiration and a vision to work on international cooperation and youth diplomacy. I am inspired by the projects of other young people who work in the country and it gives me an opportunity to network. It is a very powerful platform that brings people like we together”

Madhish Parikh Winner of BRICS and SCO Young Leaders Award in "Social Entrepreneur of the Year" category

Diana Kovela, Deputy Head of the Russia – BRICS Project Office for International Youth Cooperation, believes that each participant, despite their young age, has achieved serious success.

"At this award I really see leaders. Each of them can already today think through formats and mechanisms of interaction with each other within the community of prize winners. This is a small brick in building their careers. I can see from the eyes of these people, from their backgrounds, that this event will give each participant an impetus to something new," she said.

Zulaikha Patel from South Africa was honoured in the "Young Media Influencer of the Year" category for her contribution to improving education, including the creation of new libraries in the country's schools. This was her first time in Russia.

“I am quite honoured to receive this award, because I believe it fosters and strengthens the participation of the youth within BRICS,” she said on the sidelines of the award.

The event was organised by the Academy of Youth Diplomacy with the support of the SCO Centre for Public Diplomacy, the Ministry of Youth Affairs of Tatarstan and the Students' League of the Republic. The award has been organised since 2023. According to Dilbar Sadykova, Chairperson of the Academy of Youth Diplomacy, the possibility of holding it in other cities of the BRICS and SCO countries is being worked out.

Photo: BRICS and SCO Young Leaders Award