Fabrice Kaburugutu: Moscow Forum Will Help Turn Agreements With Russian Partners Into Joint Projects

Representatives from dozens of countries will gather in Moscow from Oct. 8 to 10 for the II Global Digital Forum to discuss how to build technology partnerships and integrate digital solutions into national ecosystems. Fabrice Kaburugutu, founder and CEO at the Association of Young Leaders United for Sustainable Development (AJLUDD) in Burundi, told IT Russia what he expects from the forum, which projects he plans to pursue with Russian partners and how media literacy can help advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

– Currently, I am the founder and CEO of the Association of Young Leaders United for Sustainable Development (AJLUDD), which works in the areas of media and information literacy, youth empowerment, peace and sustainable development, agriculture and food security, capacity building, infrastructure, climate change and advocacy, all with the goal of making a positive impact on our community in Burundi, across the Great Lakes region and around the world.

In my capacity as a Burundian youth delegate to the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, as a Burundian delegate to the V BRICS Youth Energy Summit in 2023 and as a Burundian delegate to the 2025 Global Digital Forum, I am attending the 2026 Global Digital Forum to meet and network with potential partners, youth and government delegates, representatives of universities, and other stakeholders; to learn from others while sharing my own experience in advancing media and information literacy with UNESCO’s support; and to establish new partnerships and strengthen North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation.

For the last eight years, the Association of Young Leaders United for Sustainable Development (AJLUDD) has been working to advance the 2030 Agenda by meaningfully engaging young people at the national, regional and international levels through concrete projects and successful advocacy efforts that use digital tools for national and global youth consultations and campaigns so that young people can participate in decision-making processes.

Under the Pact for the Future, adopted at the Summit of the Future held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 22–23, 2024, Heads of State and Government committed to designing and implementing digital media and information literacy programs. These programs aim to equip all users with the skills and knowledge needed to engage with and utilize information content and sources safely and critically, and to strengthen their resilience against the harmful effects of misinformation and disinformation[1]. Furthermore, media literacy plays a significant role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); for instance, it supports SDG 3 (ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being), SDG 4 (quality education for all), SDG 5 (gender equality and women's empowerment), and SDG target 16.10 (public access to information and the protection of fundamental freedoms), among others. Given Russia’s experience in digital literacy, I expect to acquire new skills and find new partners to advance the implementation of the Pact for the Future in Burundi and the African Great Lakes region.

One year ago, I attended the Global Digital Forum, where I signed four memorandums of understanding with four Russian organizations: PJSC Rostelecom, Solar Security JSC (Solar), the Center for Global IT-Cooperation and the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Space. This year’s forum will provide an opportunity to reconnect with our Russian partners in person after our online discussions and finalize and adopt an action plan for implementing the projects while seeking new partners to help implement the recommendations in our policy brief, ‘Adequacy of Training and Employment in Burundi for Youth Empowerment and Sustainable Development’[2].

I can’t conclude without mentioning that on my previous two visits to Russia, I visited St. Petersburg and Novgorod, so this time I also hope to explore Russian culture and places of interest in Moscow.

[1] Pacte pour l’Avenir 2024, page 54

[2] https://mgiep.unesco.org/article/quality-education-as-youth-empowerment-for-burundi-vision-2040