Comrades,
It is a great honor for our Organization to have so many youth organizations from all over the world participating at the 18thPancyprian Congress of EDON. For us,our Congress is a great opportunity to discuss and assess the national as well as the international actions of our organization. This seminar constitutes an extension of our congress and will give us the opportunity to discuss the views of your organizations regarding the 70 years of WFDY and the challenges of today. Our organizations share common views and concerns but always assessed under the different contexts in which we live. All of our organizations have gained a lot of experience leading the struggles of the youth and shapingthe history of WFDY for the last 70 years. This gives us a clearer image and understanding on the challenges we will all together have to facefor our common struggles for the youth, having our own social context as a starting point and extending our actions at international level within our Federation.
Many times before, we have analyzed the contemporary context in which we struggle. This analysis was based in our ideology and is verified from the global socio-economical developments. The young people of Cyprus experience a very difficult situation. Capitalism deifies profit and imposes a never-ending competition, individualism and selfishness. As a result, a great number of young people distance themselves from the political parties and the collective struggle, making it a very troubling trend for our society and dangerous for the Left.Phenomena of depreciation of and alienation from the political processes function as mechanisms of self-defense, maintenance and reproduction of the status-quo. The high abstention rate especially amongst young people during the last Presidential and European elections is particularly worrying.
In Cyprus there are particularities in the character of the struggle of the youth, as there are two aspects to it.First, the fact that the Cyprus problem remains unresolved and our country divided. And second, the existence of social conditions that hinder the development of class based social criteria amongst young people, also creating illusions about the essence of the system.
Comrades,
We need to play a significant role in the struggle against imperialism. We still face the consequences of the imperialist intervention in our Country. The coup d’état by nationalist military forces of Cyprus motivated by the Greek military junta and the invasion of Turkey that followed, were both led by NATO. Our organization EDON continues to fight with all its forces for a peaceful solution of the Cyprus problem within the framework of the United Nations and based on the UN resolutions and the High- Level agreements of 1977 and 1979, which provide for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. As EDON, we support the current negotiation efforts, provided that they will guarantee the principles for a solution that will restore the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus, without rights of intervention to any foreign country; for a solution that will restore and safeguard the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots, including the right of the return of the refugees to their homes and properties.
It is also important to note the immense worsening of the social and political situation in Cyprusfollowing the election of Nicos Anastasiades and the right wing Party (DISY) in powerin 2013, whichled to fearful attackson peoples’ rights and especially young people. Thousands of young people are forced to migrate, others live under the grip of unemployment, and the ones having a job are underpaid with poverty wages.
Despite this great pressure, the Cypriot youth broadly retains characteristics of doubt, spontaneity and the tendency towards novelty. These are radical and progressive characteristics on which social change can be grounded.
The participation of young people in massive youth organizations, such as student and pupils organizations is very important and especially in the ranks of our Organization. Young people show sensitivity about the Cyprus problem, although significant numbers of youngsters seem to have accepted the status quo, or some others are misled by reactionary positions and newly revived extreme right-wing nationalistic organizations. Our position on the Cyprus problem safeguards the orientation of the youth’s struggle against imperialism and for the reunification of our people and our country. Our alternative approach on culture, trade unionism andsports continues to express a large percentage of young people even beyond the Left.
The fact that EDON remains a leading and assertive power in the actions of the youth is the best proof that the vision of the Left is the most essential counterweight against obsolescence and political apathy.
Our actions to defend and extend the rights and benefits of the young people is also linked to the struggle against neoliberalism, imperialism, and the fight for social progress, which helps the youth realize that better life conditions can only emerge through collective, organized and constant struggle. Our actions reveal the association between the goals, the struggles and the vision of the Left with the youth’s rights and benefits. This kind of action helps the youth to realize the necessity of organized struggle.
The development EDON’s actions and the strengthening of our position in society is the result of our strong organizational set-up, which is based on the core-stone of our Organization: our Local Organizations. The ideological and political attack against the Left especially during the last years and at all levels has affected the relation of the organization with school and university students. However, despite the very hostile environment, our presence in the school and university students’ movement is maintained in high levels helping the massive youth movement to develop assertive action in both specific and general issues and problems, giving it a progressive and militant content.
Our intervention amongst young workers was also improved after the decision of the 16th Pancyprian Congress to focus a part of our actions towards them, but there is still a great potential for improvement, since the difficult socio-economic conditions of recent years have adversely affected their involvement in organized struggle.
EDON will remain in the forefront of the struggle to defend the interests of young people, since anti- peoples’ policies will intensify and new developments will emerge. Based on our ideology we understand that these struggles are not only our own; our hopes for a better future for the youth lay on the union of all the progressive forces of the world, in order to face our common enemy, Capitalism. That is the reason why a great importance is given by our Organization on our International relations and the role we have in WFDY.
We are well aware that the youth in each country face their own context-specific challenges. What unites us is our anti-imperialistic struggle within WFDY expressed in the principles and actions of the Federation. WFDY has led the struggle against imperialism for 70 years. During this historic course, WFDY has been supporting the people who struggle against imperialism and its aggressiveness. The people of Cyprus have felt the support of WFDY. As members of this historic Federation we have learned that the union among the people of the world is actually the only weapon against those who suppress our rights. The reinforcement of our international solidarity consists for EDON a basic line of action. Our youth organizations are called to be in the front line on a national and international level towards creating and maintaining a resistance front against imperialism; a front of support for a better future for the youth.
It is an honour for our Organization to have been elected in the presidency of the Federation at the 19th General Assembly. We understand that we, along with the rest of the organizations-members of WFDY are now responsible to continue the glorious history of our Federation and keep it in the front line of the struggles of the youth. In order to achieve this,we commit to continue to support WFDY, promote its principles and safeguard its character. We also believe that enhancing the organizational structure of the Federation is also very important. On this aspect we should make efforts to re-establish contact with all the member-organizations that have distance themselves from the actions of WFDY and evaluate the reasons for this; we should continue our effort to involve even more organizations in the actions of the Federation, as long as we share common understanding on the priorities and the philosophy of our struggle; we should provide the space to all the committees of WFDY to develop even more common actions, based on WFDY’s principles, for example at a peripheral level. All of these should be implemented within the context of our political declaration, which we agreed on during the last General Assembly of WFDY. This will contribute to the union within the Federation, making us stronger to fight imperialism.
Let international solidarity guide and strengthen the struggles of the youth of the world. All of our organizations, united can consist a powerful force against our oppressors. Let every gathering we have, be the beginning of new struggles for the youth, for a society of peace, solidarity, social justice, for Socialism.
Long live WFDY,
Long live the militant youth of the World.
Christos Christofias
General Secretary of the CC of EDON