International Scientific and Practical Conference ‘Russia, Brazil and Africa: Strengthening Cooperation of the Global South'

On 23 January 2025, the Faculty of Global Processes of Lomonosov Moscow State University hosted an international scientific and practical conference ‘Russia, Brazil, and Africa: Strengthening Cooperation between Countries of the Global South’. The event was held in a hybrid format and brought together scholars, researchers, and practitioners from twenty-five countries. The event was organized by the Faculty of Global Processes of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, the Russian-African Network University, and co-organized by the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the International Club of Russian-Latin American Studies of Lomonosov Moscow State University, and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

At the opening ceremony, the Dean of the Faculty of Global Processes at MSU, Professor Ilya Ilyin, and the Rector of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Professor Roberto de Andrade Medroño, gave welcoming speeches. Also, representatives of universities from Egypt, Tunisia, and Zambia gave their welcoming words to the participants of the conference.

In addition, during the opening ceremony, Ilya Vyacheslavovich solemnly handed over to the Head of the Project Office of the Russian-African Network University, M.N. Zalyvsky, the agreement signed by the Rector of Moscow University, V.A. Sadovnichy, on the accession of Lomonosov Moscow State University to the consortium ‘Russian-African Network University’.

The event continued with a plenary session moderated by M.N. Zalyvsky, Head of the Project Office of the Russian-African Network University, and A.F. Berdnikov, Executive Secretary of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University. More than twenty leading international and domestic scholars made presentations on international cooperation, educational initiatives, and challenges facing the Global South. An important highlight of the event was a speech by Askar Akaevich Akaev, a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, President of the Kyrgyz Republic (1991-2005), and Professor of the FGP MSU, who presented a paper on the role of BRICS as a platform for cooperation among developing countries. Another equally important event was the speech by Professor Rasigan Maharaj, Director of the Institute of Innovation Research at the Tshwane University of Technology, who presented a paper ‘Beyond Rhetoric: World Majority and the Realities of Our Contemporary Conjecture’.

At the end of the plenary session, the youth session of the conference—the Young Scientist's Tribune—was held, moderated by Inga Koryagina, Director for International Development of the Russian-African Club of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Associate Professor of the Marketing Department of the Plekhanov Russian Economic University, and Basi Hafiz, Chairman of the Youth Policy Commission of the Russian-African Club of the Lomonosov Moscow State University. During the session, young scientists from universities in Russia, Brazil, and Africa presented their work in English, which provided an opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss prospects for further cooperation.

The conference participants noted the high significance of the event for strengthening international ties and future joint initiatives. The project created a platform for scientific interaction and support for young scientists working at the intersection of cultures and disciplines. The organizers expressed hope that such meetings will become regular and lay the foundation for new initiatives in the field of international cooperation, promoting mutual understanding and cultural exchange between countries.