‘National Symbols of States Are an Integral Part of Cultural Code’
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In December 2025, HSE University hosted the first Forum of the BRICS Law Schools Consortium organised by the HSE Faculty of Law. The forum brought together 42 international delegates (including 10 deans) from 14 universities in Belarus, China, South Africa, India, and Indonesia. The programme included expert discussions, the signing of cooperation agreements, and the adoption of decisions on the future areas of activity of the BRICS Law Schools Consortium, which was established at the initiative of the HSE Faculty of Law.
Opening the forum, HSE Vice Rector Alexey Koshel noted: ‘We are facing large-scale challenges—the harmonisation of legal systems in the context of the significant expansion of the BRICS format, as well as economic restructuring driven by the introduction of modern innovations. All this, to a great extent, poses new challenges for our research and educational communities in developing scientifically grounded concepts for the development of the state and law. This is followed by the task of training a new generation of lawyers capable of working in a multipolar world and, of course, by coordinating the efforts of our academic and educational teams in preparing the lawyers of the future. This demonstrates the need to maintain and develop our dialogue—a dialogue among leaders of legal education who are ready to jointly seek answers to the challenges of our time.’
The forum provides an opportunity to exchange best practices in training legal professionals, outline joint research projects that may emerge from the work of the consortium’s working groups, and ‘build long-term ties between partner universities,’ emphasised Vadim Vinogradov, Dean of the HSE Faculty of Law.
As part of the forum, Vadim Vinogradov and Wang Zhiyuan, Dean of the School of Criminal Justice at the China University of Political Science and Law, signed a protocol of intent expanding opportunities for student and faculty exchanges, as well as for joint research in the field of law.
One of the sessions with the largest number of participants was titled ‘National Symbols: Cultural Influence and Legal Regulation in the BRICS Countries.’ Experts agreed that the challenges of globalisation and digitalisation make a profound rethinking of historical heritage particularly relevant. ‘National symbolism,’ Alexey Koshel stressed in his academic presentation, ‘is a cultural code, a visual bearer of collective memory. National symbols embody a people’s understanding of their statehood, unity and dignity. Today, the task of the state is to act as the guardian of the country’s and society’s visual identity.’
Albina Gadzhieva
According to the session organiser, Albina Gadzhieva, First Deputy Dean of the HSE Faculty of Law, the participants—guests of the forum—shared the view that national symbols of states are an integral part of the cultural code, reflecting historical memory, traditional spiritual and moral values, and the identity of peoples. National symbols not only continue to retain their relevance, but also serve as one of the key factors in shaping civic identity. ‘This undoubtedly calls for new legal forms both to support and promote the use of national symbols and to ensure their protection,’ Albina Gadzhieva believes.
At the session ‘Legal Education in BRICS Countries: Perspectives and Challenges in the 21st Century,’ members of the foreign delegations presented innovative approaches to legal education in their countries, including the use of digital and AI technologies in the educational process. The experience gained by the session participants can be applied to the development of legal education systems both in Russia and in other BRICS states. The discussion was moderated by Aleksandra Kasatkina, Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs of the HSE Faculty of Law, who emphasised that BRICS countries face common challenges in legal education while at the same time opening up broad opportunities for cooperation, including joint programmes, academic mobility, and the harmonisation of educational standards.
One of the key events of the forum was the world’s first BRICS LEX Model competition, which brought together students, academic staff, and practising experts to discuss issues of law and public administration in the BRICS countries. Eleven teams from BRICS states took part in a simulation of an international diplomatic conference aimed at adopting a new international treaty on the promotion and protection of foreign investment. As a result of the model, the teams developed draft international investment agreements focused on the protection of investments in the BRICS countries.
Forum participants, including faculty members and students of the Faculty of Law, as well as activists from the Moscow Youth Parliament, visited the city’s Situation Centre. There, Vladislav Shishmarev, Deputy Head of the Department of Information Technologies, spoke about the development of digitalisation in the Russian capital, the introduction of information technologies into the electoral process, and the use of AI within the civil service system. Marina Prozorova, Deputy Head of the Department of Territorial Executive Authorities of the City of Moscow, paid particular attention to the involvement of young people in the development of urban projects.
At the Situation Centre, a special forum session was held focusing on the outcomes of the consortium’s working groups. The centre’s advanced technologies ensured seamless synchronisation of presentations by both on-site participants and those who joined online, representing partner universities of the consortium from different countries, including Brazil, India, China, and Thailand. The working groups presented the results of joint research projects in the fields of AI, environmental studies, international law, digital technologies, and commercial law. The visit to the Situation Centre concluded with a guided tour of the Museum of Moscow and the Moscow Government building.
Forum participants also went on an excursion to the State Duma, the Lower Chamber of the Russian Parliament, to learn more about its work, organisational and legislative procedures.
Alexander Larichev
Over the three days of the forum, the leadership of the HSE Faculty of Law held a series of meetings with delegations from universities in China, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Belarus. The forum proved to be an excellent platform not only for developing a common framework for cooperation among consortium members, but also for deepening bilateral ties between the Faculty of Law and its partner universities. ‘For colleagues from BRICS universities, in addition to the Faculty of Law’s high standing in academic rankings, there is strong interest in our advanced experience in conducting interdisciplinary research, including in the regulation of the digital environment, bioethics, and other innovative areas. In this regard, we plan to develop concrete formats for scientific cooperation with leading universities in friendly jurisdictions,’ noted Alexander Larichev, Deputy Dean for Research at the HSE Faculty of Law.
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