"A Multipolar World is Being Born Before Our Eyes". The Second World Public Assembly Named the Preservation of Humanity a New Imperative of Sustainable Development
A high-level panel session titled "The Preservation of Humanity – An Imperative for the Sustainable Development of Civilizations" was held on September 19, 2026, at the World Trade Center. The event was part of the Second World Public Assembly "New World: Values That Unite," taking place in Moscow from September 18 to 19.
The moderators of the session were Alexandra Ochirova — Co-Chair of the Supreme Consultative Council of the World Peoples Assembly, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, member of the Russian Federation Commission for UNESCO, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, and Yulia Petrova — Deputy Secretary General of the World Peoples Assembly, Professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
Participants discussed the need for a broader understanding of sustainable development, in which the criterion of progress becomes not only economic indicators and technological achievements but also the preservation of human dignity, culture, moral guidelines, and responsibility before future generations.
The key vector of the conversation was the restructuring of the system of global interaction. Experts agreed that it is precisely multipolarity that is becoming the main instrument for solving global problems.
— A multipolar world is being born before our eyes. No one denies this fact anymore. Such a model is a chance for the modern world, and this objective global process cannot be stopped. The idea of a multipolar world is capable of revitalizing the structure and effectiveness of the UN. It promotes the development of new international platforms — the SCO and BRICS. And it is precisely today that the time has come for the practical implementation of projects of this level, — stated Svetlana Sharenkova, member of the Supreme Advisory Council of the World Peoples Assembly, Chair of the "Bulgaria – Russia" Forum, and member of the presidium of the World Association of Russian-Language Press.
The discussion participants paid particular attention to the challenges associated with the development of artificial intelligence and new technologies, demographic and environmental changes, and the transformation of public institutions.
The participants also included:
Mikhail Khazin — Russian publicist and economist;
Grigory Ordzhonikidze — Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Executive Secretary of the Russian Commission for UNESCO;
Basti Gianfranco — theologian, scholar in quantum physics and artificial intelligence;
Nizami Mamedov — member of the Union of Writers of Azerbaijan, professor, UNESCO expert;
Marina Knyazeva — poet, culturologist, senior researcher at the Department of Periodical Press of the Faculty of Journalism at Lomonosov Moscow State University —
and others.
Following the session, participants emphasized the need to return the human being to the center of the sustainable development model: technological progress must contribute to the preservation of human potential, cultural diversity, and a safe future for the next generations. In this context, the preservation of humanity becomes a common task requiring international dialogue and practical cooperation among countries, public institutions, science, education, and culture.
Additional information is available on the official website of the World Peoples Assembly and at media@world-assembly.org.