BRICS Academic Forum Gives Top Experts From Member States Platform to Discuss Pressing Issues
25/06/2024
The 2024 BRICS Academic Forum took place in Moscow on May 22–24 under the motto "BRICS: New Figures at the Global Chessboard." The Forum brought together nearly 300 representatives of the expert community from 20 countries, including the BRICS member states, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia, as well as a range of other countries, including Algeria, Belarus, Jordan, Canada, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, the United States, Uzbekistan, Uganda, and Switzerland. Also taking part in the event were representatives of the BRICS countries' respective diplomatic missions in Moscow. Experts from the participating Western countries noted the role that Russia is playing in creating a positive and all-embracing agenda, not only for BRICS but also for all countries of the Global Majority.
One of the key events on the expert track during Russia's BRICS Chairship in 2024 is the BRICS Academic Forum. The BRICS member states' national coordinators select leading experts to participate in the Forum. The official organizer of the Forum is the BRICS Expert Council–Russia, based at HSE University, which acts as Russia's national coordinator for the BRICS expert and civil tracks, and collaborates with esteemed experts and think tanks in the group's other member states. The Roscongress Foundation oversaw the day-to-day operational management of the event. The Forum received extensive press coverage from both domestic Russian and international media outlets.
"The interest shown toward the BRICS Academic Forum demonstrated that the group is of interest not only to the countries of the Global Majority, but also to the populations of European countries. Representatives of the United States, Canada, Switzerland, and several other nations were present at the Academic Forum. We are absolutely open, in contrast to other discussion formats; BRICS is delighted to engage with all parties that are ready to have a constructive dialogue," stated Victoria Panova, Head of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia and Vice Rector at HSE University, in an interview with Sputnik radio.
The Forum's opening ceremony on May 22 featured welcome remarks by a number of prominent speakers, including Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Russia’s BRICS Sherpa; HSE University Rector Nikita Anisimov; First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International affairs of the State Duma, Board Chair of the National Committee on BRICS Research Vyacheslav Nikonov; and Head of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia, HSE University Vice Rector, and Russian Women’s Twenty (W20) Sherpa Victoria Panova. As well, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk sent a message of greetings to the participants, guests, and organizers of the Forum.
One of the key events on the expert track during Russia's BRICS Chairship in 2024 is the BRICS Academic Forum. The BRICS member states' national coordinators select leading experts to participate in the Forum. The official organizer of the Forum is the BRICS Expert Council–Russia, based at HSE University, which acts as Russia's national coordinator for the BRICS expert and civil tracks, and collaborates with esteemed experts and think tanks in the group's other member states. The Roscongress Foundation oversaw the day-to-day operational management of the event. The Forum received extensive press coverage from both domestic Russian and international media outlets.
"The interest shown toward the BRICS Academic Forum demonstrated that the group is of interest not only to the countries of the Global Majority, but also to the populations of European countries. Representatives of the United States, Canada, Switzerland, and several other nations were present at the Academic Forum. We are absolutely open, in contrast to other discussion formats; BRICS is delighted to engage with all parties that are ready to have a constructive dialogue," stated Victoria Panova, Head of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia and Vice Rector at HSE University, in an interview with Sputnik radio.
The Forum's opening ceremony on May 22 featured welcome remarks by a number of prominent speakers, including Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Russia’s BRICS Sherpa; HSE University Rector Nikita Anisimov; First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International affairs of the State Duma, Board Chair of the National Committee on BRICS Research Vyacheslav Nikonov; and Head of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia, HSE University Vice Rector, and Russian Women’s Twenty (W20) Sherpa Victoria Panova. As well, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk sent a message of greetings to the participants, guests, and organizers of the Forum.
The Academic Forum's intensive, event-filled programme included two plenary sessions and 13 thematic sessions, reflecting the most relevant topics on the BRICS agenda, covering political and security issues, economics and finance, energy, high technology and artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare, climate, culture, and tourism.
As part of the overall Forum agenda, the BRICS Think Tanks Council (BTTC) called a meeting, as has now been customary. The BTTC is an international platform hosting interactions and cooperation among the national coordinators of the BRICS member states. Its primary mission is to foster an exchange of ideas between leading experts, representatives of the academic community, think tanks, and research centres from across the member states of the group. At BTTC meetings, the attendees draft consensus-based final documents that are then presented to the BRICS national leaders and given due attention. One shining illustration of the BTTC's efforts is the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), which was already up and running within only 2.5 years after the concept’s initial discussion at the BRICS Academic Forum. The BRICS Network University is yet another example.
During the Forum's working sessions, participants discussed various approaches to tackling pressing issues and formulating ways for furthering interaction in the areas of global governance; trade and economic cooperation; international security and stability; food and energy security; humanitarian links; fostering a dialogue on science, education, and culture; high technology, and innovation; and enhancement of international financial and monetary systems.
During the Forum’s session titled “BRICS Reshaped: New Forms but Meaning", Sergey Karaganov, Academic Supervisor of HSE University’s Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, noted that we do not yet know what shape the group's economic model will ultimately take: "Outdated formulas. Instead, new ones must be developed, along with an attempt to develop a post-capitalist economy and an entirely novel theory of international relations. The prior system was established based on the dominance of one nation and the growth of consumption. We are facing a challenge: we need to create a new economic model that explains how the world works."
In turn, Men Honghua, Dean of the School of Political Science and International Relations at Tongji University (China), believes that the BRICS member states are developing more rapidly, and it is precisely these countries that form the backbone of economic growth and development, adding: "We are moving in the direction of multipolarity. Accepting new member states into BRICS is an economic and political reinforcement. On the other hand, we're also seeing a rise in qualitative indicators. The accession of the new member countries is also facilitating growth in resources, populations, etc."
Representing Ethiopia, Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) Executive Director Jafar Bedru expressed his belief that BRICS should work to strengthen the basic principles underlying their cooperation. " At the centre of our relationships are equitable ties, which serve as the cornerstone of BRICS collaboration. The BRICS countries should promote pragmatic cooperation and seek out new sources of growth, while upholding inclusivity and equality," he said during the session. Furthermore, the expert pointed out that Ethiopia might be a very useful resource for BRICS as a diplomatic centre in Africa, acting as a link for collaboration with the various nations on the continent.
During the Forum session titled "Escaping the Red List: Human Next?", which looked at healthcare issues, the experts discussed, among other things, those diseases that affect the way health economics is structured. "We need to learn how to speak with various generations of people in such a way that they internalize the idea that looking after one's own health comes naturally, so that preventable deaths become truly preventable. We propose establishing a common BRICS fund for fighting against rare diseases," Larisa Popovich, Director of the Institute for Health Economics at HSE University, noted.
At the session titled "People in the Spotlight: Maximizing BRICS Biggest Asset", representatives of every BRICS member state spoke about how important it is to create systems for fostering the growth and retention of human capital. Evgeniy Terentev, Director of the Institute of Education at HSE University, highlighted the distinguishing feature of the BRICS countries, saying: "By comparison with the Western countries, in the member countries of the group significantly more attention is devoted to the issue of educational contacts and interpersonal contacts." He went on to say that more research must be done on the development of human potential.
Representing Ethiopia, Policy Studies Institute (PSI) Director General Beyene Petros confirmed the need for scientific and educational contacts, and specifically the necessity for conducting an annual monitoring and review process for scientific and technical cooperation within the BRICS framework. "The BRICS countries should ensure equal opportunities for all members to participate in scientific and technical cooperation," he emphasized.
Representing India, Aditi Avasthi, entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of Embibe, an AI educational technology platform, proposed during the discussion the creation of shared centres of excellence across the BRICS space.
Representing South Africa, Krish Chetty, Senior Researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), suggested that the attendees seriously consider the necessity of implementing a shared BRICS artificial intelligence (AI) policy that would be centred on fostering collaboration in science and academia. "To bring together all of the actors involved in the invention creation process—universities, academics, students, business incubators, startups, etc.—we need to establish practical approaches. It is noteworthy that BRICS already have the necessary infrastructure for these kinds of contacts; all that's needed is to develop it. In addition, the establishment of collaborative public BRICS Centres for AI Data and the BRICS Data Sharing Platform – a shared databank containing the collective expertise and data of the BRICS nations that would be open to all innovators – is imperative, stressed Krish Chetty.
Representing Brazil, Haroldo Ramanzini Junior, Professor of International Relations at the University of Brasilia (UNB), expressed confidence that the majority of problems arise because contemporary scholarship in the field of international relations is dominated by universities and think tanks in the West. " In order to challenge this biassed, one-sided paradigm that has been developed by Western think tanks, we should conduct collaborative research projects, increase and strengthen analytical and research work devoted to studying foreign policy in the BRICS countries, and work together on research projects," he stated. Haroldo Ramanzini Junior added that BRICS has proven in recent years that it is capable of cooperating and producing concrete results.
During the session titled "The Price is Transition: Who Gets It All?", Alexander Dynkin, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Academician, Professor and President of the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), remarked that many different trends play a role in promoting the “green agenda”, meaning that there is currently no common global strategy for transitioning to new energy resources.
Igor Makarov, Head of the Working Group “Sustainable Development, Human Wellbeing, Food and Environmental Security” of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia, Head of the School of World Economy at the HSE University Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, Head of the Laboratory for Economics of Climate Change, and Head of the International Economic Research Department of the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS) at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at HSE University, stated: "The BRICS countries are unified by global emission trends. BRICS accounts for a share of more than 50%. Simply rejecting fossil fuels does not offer a viable solution for successfully transitioning to new energy resources. We now lack a widely recognised methodology for implementing an energy transition, so collaboration is required in this area."
Representing India, Gopalika Arora, Associate Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), added that it is necessary to revisit the concept of energy transition with the accent on the economic benefits to be gained from the process.
Furthermore, every participant in the conversation advocated for the adoption of a bold agenda aimed at addressing global issues.
Taking part in the closing ceremony of the BRICS Academic Forum were both Pavel Knyazev, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry and Russia’s Sous-Sherpa to BRICS, and Marat Berdyev, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia’s Sous-Sherpa to the G20, and the Russian senior official at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
BRICS Academic Forum results were crystallized into a set of recommendations by the academic community for promoting the development of cooperation under the aegis of BRICS, which have been forwarded to the national leaders of the member states by their respective sherpas and sous-sherpas in preparation for the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan. The document formally outlining the Forum's recommendations was personally received by Ambassador-at-Large Pavel Knyazev, Russia's Sous-Sherpa to BRICS, and Ambassador-at-Large Marat Berdyev, Russia's G20 Sous-Sherpa.
A final news conference was conducted to reveal the Forum's outcomes, following the long-standing tradition of this high-level event. Held under the title "BRICS Academic Forum: Expansion of the association, outcomes, and recommendations" on May 24 at the “Rossiya Segodnya” International Media Group, the press conference included national coordinators from each of the BRICS member states.
Events like the BRICS Academic Forum help to shape the future agenda of BRICS and provide a clear understanding of the sheer volume of practical work that is being carried out in the most diverse range of focus areas. This is made possible thanks to the spirit of cooperation within the expert community, the improvement of the dialogue between governments and the expert community, and the elaboration of well-grounded recommendations for the BRICS national leaders.
As part of the overall Forum agenda, the BRICS Think Tanks Council (BTTC) called a meeting, as has now been customary. The BTTC is an international platform hosting interactions and cooperation among the national coordinators of the BRICS member states. Its primary mission is to foster an exchange of ideas between leading experts, representatives of the academic community, think tanks, and research centres from across the member states of the group. At BTTC meetings, the attendees draft consensus-based final documents that are then presented to the BRICS national leaders and given due attention. One shining illustration of the BTTC's efforts is the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), which was already up and running within only 2.5 years after the concept’s initial discussion at the BRICS Academic Forum. The BRICS Network University is yet another example.
During the Forum's working sessions, participants discussed various approaches to tackling pressing issues and formulating ways for furthering interaction in the areas of global governance; trade and economic cooperation; international security and stability; food and energy security; humanitarian links; fostering a dialogue on science, education, and culture; high technology, and innovation; and enhancement of international financial and monetary systems.
During the Forum’s session titled “BRICS Reshaped: New Forms but Meaning", Sergey Karaganov, Academic Supervisor of HSE University’s Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, noted that we do not yet know what shape the group's economic model will ultimately take: "Outdated formulas. Instead, new ones must be developed, along with an attempt to develop a post-capitalist economy and an entirely novel theory of international relations. The prior system was established based on the dominance of one nation and the growth of consumption. We are facing a challenge: we need to create a new economic model that explains how the world works."
In turn, Men Honghua, Dean of the School of Political Science and International Relations at Tongji University (China), believes that the BRICS member states are developing more rapidly, and it is precisely these countries that form the backbone of economic growth and development, adding: "We are moving in the direction of multipolarity. Accepting new member states into BRICS is an economic and political reinforcement. On the other hand, we're also seeing a rise in qualitative indicators. The accession of the new member countries is also facilitating growth in resources, populations, etc."
Representing Ethiopia, Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) Executive Director Jafar Bedru expressed his belief that BRICS should work to strengthen the basic principles underlying their cooperation. " At the centre of our relationships are equitable ties, which serve as the cornerstone of BRICS collaboration. The BRICS countries should promote pragmatic cooperation and seek out new sources of growth, while upholding inclusivity and equality," he said during the session. Furthermore, the expert pointed out that Ethiopia might be a very useful resource for BRICS as a diplomatic centre in Africa, acting as a link for collaboration with the various nations on the continent.
During the Forum session titled "Escaping the Red List: Human Next?", which looked at healthcare issues, the experts discussed, among other things, those diseases that affect the way health economics is structured. "We need to learn how to speak with various generations of people in such a way that they internalize the idea that looking after one's own health comes naturally, so that preventable deaths become truly preventable. We propose establishing a common BRICS fund for fighting against rare diseases," Larisa Popovich, Director of the Institute for Health Economics at HSE University, noted.
At the session titled "People in the Spotlight: Maximizing BRICS Biggest Asset", representatives of every BRICS member state spoke about how important it is to create systems for fostering the growth and retention of human capital. Evgeniy Terentev, Director of the Institute of Education at HSE University, highlighted the distinguishing feature of the BRICS countries, saying: "By comparison with the Western countries, in the member countries of the group significantly more attention is devoted to the issue of educational contacts and interpersonal contacts." He went on to say that more research must be done on the development of human potential.
Representing Ethiopia, Policy Studies Institute (PSI) Director General Beyene Petros confirmed the need for scientific and educational contacts, and specifically the necessity for conducting an annual monitoring and review process for scientific and technical cooperation within the BRICS framework. "The BRICS countries should ensure equal opportunities for all members to participate in scientific and technical cooperation," he emphasized.
Representing India, Aditi Avasthi, entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of Embibe, an AI educational technology platform, proposed during the discussion the creation of shared centres of excellence across the BRICS space.
Representing South Africa, Krish Chetty, Senior Researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), suggested that the attendees seriously consider the necessity of implementing a shared BRICS artificial intelligence (AI) policy that would be centred on fostering collaboration in science and academia. "To bring together all of the actors involved in the invention creation process—universities, academics, students, business incubators, startups, etc.—we need to establish practical approaches. It is noteworthy that BRICS already have the necessary infrastructure for these kinds of contacts; all that's needed is to develop it. In addition, the establishment of collaborative public BRICS Centres for AI Data and the BRICS Data Sharing Platform – a shared databank containing the collective expertise and data of the BRICS nations that would be open to all innovators – is imperative, stressed Krish Chetty.
Representing Brazil, Haroldo Ramanzini Junior, Professor of International Relations at the University of Brasilia (UNB), expressed confidence that the majority of problems arise because contemporary scholarship in the field of international relations is dominated by universities and think tanks in the West. " In order to challenge this biassed, one-sided paradigm that has been developed by Western think tanks, we should conduct collaborative research projects, increase and strengthen analytical and research work devoted to studying foreign policy in the BRICS countries, and work together on research projects," he stated. Haroldo Ramanzini Junior added that BRICS has proven in recent years that it is capable of cooperating and producing concrete results.
During the session titled "The Price is Transition: Who Gets It All?", Alexander Dynkin, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Academician, Professor and President of the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), remarked that many different trends play a role in promoting the “green agenda”, meaning that there is currently no common global strategy for transitioning to new energy resources.
Igor Makarov, Head of the Working Group “Sustainable Development, Human Wellbeing, Food and Environmental Security” of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia, Head of the School of World Economy at the HSE University Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, Head of the Laboratory for Economics of Climate Change, and Head of the International Economic Research Department of the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS) at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at HSE University, stated: "The BRICS countries are unified by global emission trends. BRICS accounts for a share of more than 50%. Simply rejecting fossil fuels does not offer a viable solution for successfully transitioning to new energy resources. We now lack a widely recognised methodology for implementing an energy transition, so collaboration is required in this area."
Representing India, Gopalika Arora, Associate Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), added that it is necessary to revisit the concept of energy transition with the accent on the economic benefits to be gained from the process.
Furthermore, every participant in the conversation advocated for the adoption of a bold agenda aimed at addressing global issues.
Taking part in the closing ceremony of the BRICS Academic Forum were both Pavel Knyazev, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry and Russia’s Sous-Sherpa to BRICS, and Marat Berdyev, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia’s Sous-Sherpa to the G20, and the Russian senior official at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
BRICS Academic Forum results were crystallized into a set of recommendations by the academic community for promoting the development of cooperation under the aegis of BRICS, which have been forwarded to the national leaders of the member states by their respective sherpas and sous-sherpas in preparation for the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan. The document formally outlining the Forum's recommendations was personally received by Ambassador-at-Large Pavel Knyazev, Russia's Sous-Sherpa to BRICS, and Ambassador-at-Large Marat Berdyev, Russia's G20 Sous-Sherpa.
A final news conference was conducted to reveal the Forum's outcomes, following the long-standing tradition of this high-level event. Held under the title "BRICS Academic Forum: Expansion of the association, outcomes, and recommendations" on May 24 at the “Rossiya Segodnya” International Media Group, the press conference included national coordinators from each of the BRICS member states.
Events like the BRICS Academic Forum help to shape the future agenda of BRICS and provide a clear understanding of the sheer volume of practical work that is being carried out in the most diverse range of focus areas. This is made possible thanks to the spirit of cooperation within the expert community, the improvement of the dialogue between governments and the expert community, and the elaboration of well-grounded recommendations for the BRICS national leaders.