The Faculty of Global Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University Hosted the VIII International Scientific and Practical Conference “Current Issues of Global Studies: Megatrends of Global Development”
From May 20 to 23, 2026, the Faculty of Global Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University hosted the VIII International Scientific and Practical Conference “Current Issues of Global Studies: Megatrends of Global Development.” The conference was organized by the Faculty of Global Studies of MSU, the Russian Committee of the UNESCO MOST Programme (“Management of Social Transformations”), and the International Academy of Global Studies.
The conference brought together representatives of the academic and expert community, international organizations, universities, and research centers from Russia, China, South Africa, Brazil, and other countries. The discussions focused on key contemporary challenges, including the transformation of the global world order, the platformization of the world economy, changes in the international financial architecture, demographic shifts, the development of artificial intelligence, and anthropological transformations in the context of the technological revolution.
A special place in the conference program was occupied by the strategic session of the Russian-African Club of MSU titled “The Role and Place of Africa in the Formation of a Polycentric System of International Relations.” The session brought together Russian and international experts, representatives of academia, public organizations, and international initiatives engaged in the development of Russian-African cooperation.
The session addressed issues of strengthening humanitarian and educational cooperation, the role of African countries in the emerging polycentric world, and the development of public diplomacy, youth initiatives, and international academic ties. Participants included representatives from South Africa, Zambia, Cameroon, Sudan, Tanzania, and Russia.
The strategic session was moderated by Alexander Fedorovich Berdnikov, Executive Secretary of the Russian-African Club of MSU, and Ilya Leonidovich Shershnev, Associate Professor of the Department of Global Social Processes and Youth Work at the Faculty of Global Studies, Director of the “Globus – XXI Century” Research and Educational Center.
An important event of the conference was the presentation of the diploma of the International Academy of Global Studies to Professor Lulu Nightingale Mmakola of the University of Limpopo (South Africa), who also delivered a plenary report as part of the main conference program.
The conference once again confirmed the status of the Faculty of Global Studies of MSU as one of the leading international platforms for discussing megatrends of global development, strengthening academic dialogue, and promoting interdisciplinary research in the field of global studies.
