Business programme
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30

The Legal Legacy of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War: Historical Significance and Modern Challenges

Congress Centre, conference hall D4
The Age of Heroes – The Rights of Heroes
Broadcast
The year 2025 has been declared in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as the Year of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War — the Year of Peace and Unity in the fight against Nazism. Following the defeat of the Third Reich on the battlefields, the Great Victory of the multinational Soviet people in one of the bloodiest wars in history laid fundamental foundations of the modern world order, the core elements of which became the UN Charter, as well as the Charter and Judgment of the Nuremberg Tribunal, which delivered unequivocal, indisputable legal definitions regarding Nazism. Today, this legal foundation faces serious challenges, including persistent attempts by certain states and their alliances to rewrite history and diminish the central role of the Soviet Union in the victorious conclusion of World War II. One tool of such destructive policies is the controversial concept of a “rules-based order”, the main goal of which is to undermine the international legal order formed as a result of the historic Victory over Nazism. What can CIS member states do to counter these destructive practices? How can they preserve the shared legacy of the Great Victory, common to all the peoples of the Commonwealth, and the fundamental principles of the post-war world order?

Moderator

Mikhail Shvydkoy
Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation

Panellists

Alena Douhan
Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on the Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Enjoyment of Human Rights (online)
Anatoly Kapustin
President, Russian Association of International Law; Acting Head of the Center for International Law and Comparative Legal Studies, Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation
Sergey Lavrov
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (video message)
Igor Petrishenko
First Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States
Andrey Popkov
Head of the Main Contractual and Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus
Igor Rogov
Chairman of the Republic of Kazakhstan Presidential Commission on Human Rights
Akmal Saidov
Member of the Committee on Democratic Institutions and the Development of Civil Society of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Broadcast

Mikhail Shvydkoy
Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation
Mikhail Shvydkoy, Special Envoy of the President of the Russian Federation for international cultural cooperation (since 2008).
Ph.D. in the History of Theatre, National Institute of Art Research, Moscow (1991). Professor at Faculty of Foreign Theatre, Russian Academy of Theatre Art; Professor, Member of Academic Council, Moscow State Lomonosov-University.
Founder and Artistic director of Moscow Theatre of musical (since 2011). Moderator of several TV programs. Columnist of the “Rossiyskaya gazeta”. Author of 3 books, 10 films and more than 1000 publications on culture.
Head of the Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography (2004-2008), Minister of culture (2000-2004), Chairman of the All-Russia State TV and Broadcasting Company (1998-2000), Deputy Minister of culture (1993-1997).
Alena Douhan
Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on the Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Enjoyment of Human Rights
Anatoly Kapustin
President, Russian Association of International Law; Acting Head of the Center for International Law and Comparative Legal Studies, Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation
Head of the Chair of International Law at the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Honored Worker of the Higher School of the Russian Federation.
Born in 1954, place of birth – Gorky region (USSR).
Graduated in 1980 from the Faculty of Economics and Law (Department of Law) P. Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University, specialty "International Law".
Defended PhD thesis ((Candidate of legal sciences)) on International Public Law - 1984.
Defended Doctoral thesis (Doctor of of legal sciences) on International Public Law and European Law -2001.
Professor of International Law – 2002.
Honored scientist of the Russian Federation -2015.
1983-2010 – Assistant, Associate Professor, Professor, Head of the Department of International Law, Dean of the Law Faculty of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, Moscow.
From 2010 to the present - Head of the Center for Comparative Legal Studies of the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation, Head of the Center for Educational Programs of the Institute, Deputy Director of the Institute, First Deputy Director of the Institute, Academic Adviser of the Institute, acting Head of the Department of Foreign Constitutional, Administrative, Criminal Legislation and International Law of the Institute, Head of the Department Institute of International Law, Head of the Chair of International Law of the Institute.
Research interests: modern problems of theory and practice of International law, published more than 340 works, including 30 monographs (2 individual, the rest in co-authorship), 35 textbooks and teaching aids in Russia and abroad.
President of the Russian Association of International Law (Moscow),
Member of the International Legal Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia,
Member of the Executive Council of the Association of International Law (London, UK).
He has State and Ministries (Federal Departments) awards, commendations, certificates of honor and diplomas. Winner of the 2014 prize of the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum "For Contribution to the development of legal integration in the Eurasian space".
Sergey Lavrov
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Born in 1950, Russian. 1972 - graduated from the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Has command of English, French and Sinhalese. Started his career in 1972 at the Soviet Embassy in Sri Lanka. 1976-1981 - worked in the Department of International Organizations of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1981-1988 - First Secretary, Counselor and Senior Counselor in the Permanent Representation of the USSR at the UN. 1988-1990 - Deputy Head of the Department of International Economic Relations of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1990-1992 - Director of the Foreign Ministry's Department of International Organizations and Global Problems. 1992-1994 - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. 1994-2004 - Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation at the United Nations. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation since 2004. Has the rank of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation. Decorated with government awards. Married, with one daughter.
Igor Petrishenko
First Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States
Date of birth − 19th of October, 1965 in the village Negliubka in Gomel region.Education: Vilnius Higher Command School of Electronics of Air Defence (1986), Military Institute (1992) and Academy of Public Administration under the Aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus (1998).1986 - 1996 − service in the Armed Forces as an officer.1996 - 1999 − counsellor, senior counsellor, chief of the Treaty and Legal Department of the Minister for the Commonwealth of Independent States in the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, then in the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.1999 - 2001 − chief of the International Cooperation Department in the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.2001 - February 2003 − deputy chief of the international cooperation and trade department - chief of the International Cooperation Department in the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.February - August 2003 − deputy chief of Russia and the Union State Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.August 2003 - December 2007 – counsellor of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Russian Federation.December 2007 - February 2008 − chief of Russia and the Union State Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.February 2008 - September 2012 − First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.10th of September, 2012 − the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko appointed Igor Petrishenko Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus in the Russian Federation.Diplomatic rank: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Since 2018 - Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus.
Foreign languages: English.Family status and children: married, one daughter.
Andrey Popkov
Head of the Main Contractual and Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus
Igor Rogov
Chairman of the Republic of Kazakhstan Presidential Commission on Human Rights
Akmal Saidov
Member of the Committee on Democratic Institutions and the Development of Civil Society of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan
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