Representatives of the “Path Home” project took part in the World Public Assembly

The first World Public Assembly was held at the World Trade Center in Moscow on 20-21 September, bringing together more than 4,000 leaders in public diplomacy, representatives of civil society, experts and government officials from more than 150 countries.

Alla Shelyapina, deputy chair of the “Path Home” project, spoke at the roundtable “Culture of Remembrance and Historical Truth” as part of the International Forum “Victorious Countries: Lessons of World War II and Responsibility for Peace.” The discussion focused on a comprehensive consideration of issues related to preserving historical memory, protecting the truth about the events of World War II and the Great Patriotic War, and compliance with adopted UN resolutions, the decisions of the Nuremberg Trials, and appeals by the leaders of the CIS, BRICS and SCO countries on preventing the glorification of Nazism and fascism.

Working with our compatriots living abroad, participants in the “Path Home” social project regularly encounter the fact that support for neo-Nazi manifestations in the countries where migrants live is increasingly becoming one of the important reasons for their return to Russia. Soviet people and their descendants, raised with the memory of the Soviet people's sacrifices in the fight against the inhuman ideologies of the mid-20th century, cannot reconcile themselves to modern manifestations of complicity in the revival of these ideas.

However, we see increasingly deep divisions in views on the causes, course and outcome of World War II and the Great Patriotic War among representatives of diasporas from post-Soviet countries. And this is no coincidence! After all, their history textbooks devote only one or two lessons to the study of World War II and, especially, the Great Patriotic War, which is wholly insufficient. Therefore, as a proposal from the “Path Home” project team, Alla Shelyapina suggested declaring 2026 the Year of the Soviet Compatriot as part of the Assembly of the Peoples of the World, so that all those from post-Soviet countries who keep alive the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 could join forces in educational anti-fascist projects and remind everyone of the role of the peoples of the Soviet Union in the fight against the plague of the 20th century. At the same time, a detailed plan of activities could be developed and adopted jointly through people’s diplomacy with representatives of NGOs from these countries. This proposal will be included in the final resolution of the International Forum “Victorious Countries: Lessons of World War II and Responsibility for Peace.”

The business programme of the first World Public Assembly included 7 panel sessions and more than 40 thematic venues in key areas: public diplomacy, humanitarian modernisation, the values of the new world and spiritual unity. Thematic forums included: the International Media Forum “Media in the Service of Humanity,” the Youth Forum “Generation of Unity,” the International Forum “Victorious Countries: Lessons of World War II and Responsibility for Peace,” the Business Forum “Corporate Social Responsibility: Investing in a Common Future,” the Congress of the World Organization of Writers (WOW), and the Eurasian Forum of National Cultures and Equestrian Traditions “Constellation of the First.” An important event was the meeting of university rectors on the sidelines of the World Public Assembly. It brought together representatives of universities from more than 40 countries. The solemn finale of the Assembly was the presentation of the Public Recognition Award “For Service to Humanity.” As the final act, participants in the Assembly adopted a declaration proclaiming the construction of a New World of Conscious Unity, where the happiness of each person is inextricably linked to the well-being of all, as a new goal for humanity.