The Model Summit of the BRICS Countries Took Place at Ostroh Academy

May 21, 2024

On May 21, the Model Summit of the Brics countries took place at the National University of Ostroh Academy. 

The organisers are the student organisation "Foreign Affairs Research Organization" (FARO) and the Educational and Scientific Institute of International Relations and National Security. The project managers are Yaroslav Burkut and Yaroslav Varin.

Students of the educational programmes "History", "International Relations", "Political Science", and "International and Regional Studies" participated in the event.

"Modeling of the summit of the BRICS countries is an event that unites students of various educational programmes of the NaUOA and allows them to exchange knowledge and experience, forming a multifaceted understanding of international relations, economy, politics and other fields. 

Participating in an international summit simulation gives students the opportunity to put theoretical knowledge into practice and develop skills in diplomacy, negotiation, analytical thinking, and public speaking. 

In addition, experience in negotiations and press conferences promotes the development of communication skills, which are important in any professional field. Such activities help students better understand the structure and functioning of international organisations and current issues the world community faces. 

The BRICS summit model is an interactive form of learning that stimulates students' active participation and critical thinking, making the learning process more exciting and effective, and also contributes to the comprehensive development of students of higher education, helping them prepare for future professional activities and successful careers,"

The event was held to encourage students of higher education institutions in Ukraine to study the block of developing countries and countries of the Global South and other leading regions outside the North Atlantic space.

First, there was a round table meeting of the leaders of the BRICS member states, where the countries' authorities highlighted the delegations' positions. Subsequently, the negotiation took place between the heads of the MFA apparatus, the official representative of the delegation. The main purpose of the representatives of the delegations during the negotiations is to establish the final points of the communique, which they signed in the final part of the event.

"The idea of holding the Model BRICS Summit arose from the desire to encourage students to expand their range of knowledge about international relations. Taking into account the fact that the attention of students is mainly focused on the study of the foreign policy of the countries of the Euro-Atlantic space, as indicated by the recent events organised by the student self-government and ESIIRNS, the Foreign Affairs Research Organization (FARO) decided to organise an event that would encourage students of higher education to pay attention to the foreign policy of countries outside the regions of Europe and North America. The value of such events lies in encouraging the student community to study international relations, particularly specific areas that are not popular among the Ukrainian scientific and political community,"

The People's Republic of China (PRC), the Republic of India, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Arab Republic of Egypt, Country X (russia), the Republic of South Africa (RSA), and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia were represented at the event.

After establishing the final version of the communique, the delegations headed to the room where the leaders of the BRICS member countries solemnly signed the communique. After that, the delegations took part in a press conference during which representatives of the delegation gave answers to questions posed by journalists. 

Yehor Popov, a student majoring in International Relations, shared his impressions of the event: 

"The BRICS summit is a platform for cooperation between countries with different economic and political systems. This model allows participants to discuss global challenges, promote economic growth and develop mutual trade. As a participant in this model, we could see different points of view of the participating countries and learned to consider various aspects from other perspectives."