The 10th edition of the Children of the Commonwealth international cultural and educational forum opened at the National Children's Educational and Recreation Center Zubrenok on 7 July, BelTA learned from the press service of the Council of the Republic.

The forum will be held in Belarus for the first time. This year it is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Its theme “Memory and Unity of Generations” emphasizes the importance of preserving history to foster unity and strength.

According to the CIS Inter-parliamentary Assembly, delegations of schoolchildren from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will take part in the forum. The event has been organized by the CIS Inter-parliamentary Assembly and the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus with the support of the CIS Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund.

The forum will begin at the National Children's Technopark, where the children will be told about the park’s operations and take part in master classes in science and innovation.

Every day they will learn something new about the history, culture and traditions of one of the CIS countries. An extensive program, a large number of meetings and excursions have been prepared for the children. The ministers of culture, education, sports and tourism, healthcare, and the National Academy of Sciences will talk about their work at the “Shirt-Sleeves Meeting”.

The participants of the forum will learn about the work of Belarusian parliamentarians and visit the National Library. They will also have a tour of the Khatyn Memorial Complex and lay flowers at the Minsk-Hero City Stele.

Belarusian actors and media workers will give clinics in public speaking and acting. The children will also meet with people's artists, writers, composers, and take part in sports competitions, dialogue platforms with Belarusian athletes, quizzes, educational training sessions, music competitions, dance marathons and many other events.

Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova proposed holding the forum in Belarus at a meeting of the CIS IPA Council in July 2024. The proposal was upheld by the parliament speakers of the Commonwealth countries.

The Children of the Commonwealth forum was initiated by the Kyrgyz Republic. The first forum was held in Cholpon-Ata, a resort town on Lake Issyk-Kul, in 2013. The forum's geography expanded after 2020. In 2021 it was held in Russia, in 2023 it was hosted by Uzbekistan.

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