From September 29 to October 2, 2025, Sochi will host the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club titled: “The Polycentric World: Instructions for Use.” The Club’s flagship international conference will bring together 140 participants from 42 countries, including Algeria, Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.
Programme of the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club
“The Polycentric World: Instructions for Use”
Sochi, September 29 – October 2, 2025
September 29, Monday
09:00 – 09:05 Opening of the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club (LIVE: Russian, English)
09:05 – 10:30 Dr. Chaos or: How to Stop Worrying and Love the Disorder? Presentation of the Valdai Discussion Club’s Annual Report (LIVE: Russian, English)
Current global developments are nothing short of breathtaking, appearing to turn the established order upside down. While the scale and pace of these transformations are indeed remarkable, they raise fundamental questions: Is the international system undergoing qualitative change? Are we witnessing a revolution in world politics – and if so, what forces are driving it?
11:00 – 12:30 Session 1. What Is Multipolarity? Symphony, Anarchy, Balance or Continuous Conflict? (LIVE: Russian, English)
The concept of multipolarity, which entered political use at the end of the twentieth century, served as a symbol of the rejection of hegemony. And in this sense, it was used by many countries of the world. Today, this slogan has materialized into reality. Yet multipolarity, in itself, merely describes a new geopolitical landscape: one defined by multiple power centres. It remains to be understood what principles such a system can operate on and whether uniform principles are possible at all.
13:30 – 15:00 Session 2. Regional conflicts. Solutions in a Multipolar World
A multipolar world is inherently diverse and competitive; competition is a fundamental feature of its design. Moreover, as the global system restructures itself – and with major-power war off the table – this competition manifests as a series of regional conflicts, which are direct for some actors and proxy wars for others. What lessons can we already draw from this new reality, and how can conflicts be resolved in this emerging era?
15:30 – 17:00 Session 3. War as a Goal and a Means. Militarization and the Use of Force in the Modern World
Military power has regained its function as one of the main instruments of power and influence. Militarization is seen not only as a guarantee of national security, but also as an instrument of economic development. To what extent does the use of force actually resolve the underlying contradictions it purports to address? How does the technological revolution affect warfare?
17:30 – 19:00 Session 4. The Will of the People and What Is to Be Done About it? The Fate of Democracy in a World of Manipulation
The deeper the transformation of states in the new conditions, the more important is the trust of societies and the legitimacy of their policies. However, classical democratic mechanisms do not work as before – they are too manipulative in relation to public opinion and the ability to create political “multiverses". How to ensure the fulfilment of the will of the people, while maintaining manageability and avoiding external influence?
September 30, Tuesday
09:30 – 11:00 Session 5. Scientific and Technological Sovereignty in a Diversified World: Self-Interest First or Different Paths to a Common Future? (LIVE: Russian, English)
Science and technology cannot develop in isolation, because the knowledge underlying them is universal. But they are also areas where national competitive advantages are created in the context of universal competition. Does competition allow for pragmatic interaction? What is technological sovereignty in a fragmented but connected world?
11:30 – 13:00 Meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov
14:00 – 15:30 Meeting with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin
16:00 – 17:30 Session 6. Artificial Intelligence – One for All or Each to Their Own?
No concept dominates contemporary discourse more than artificial intelligence. In addition to debates about how it will transform all spheres of human activity and to what extent it will replace humans, it's time to ask one more question. Will AI absorb the spirit of a multipolar competition – the cultural and ideological differences and contradictions of the main actors? And what will this mean in terms of the ability to find common ground in the international arena?
18:00 – 19:30 Session 7. The Great Migration of Peoples or the Great Reorganization of States?
Migration is the quintessence of imbalances and inequalities in the world. The influx of people is economically necessary for the Global North, but it stimulates acute socio-cultural and political conflicts in societies. In the Global South, the shortage of human capital is combined with an inability to provide jobs and income for a growing young population. Are there balanced responses to migration challenges that would take into account the full range of existing contradictions?
October 1st, Wednesday
09:00 – 10:30 Session 8. World Minority: The Role of the West in a Multipolar World
For centuries, the West has maintained unquestioned dominance as the primary driver of global development across nearly all domains. The changes of the early 21st century, the emergence of a diversified world in which the West is an increasingly obvious minority, will inevitably lead to a change in its role. Is the West ready to exist in a multipolar environment and what role can it play?
11:00 – 12:30 Session 9. Freedom and Dependence: Development Amid Political Conflicts and Economic Turmoil?
Geopolitical and military conflicts are severely disrupting the global economy and complicating development. Beyond immediate political pressure, the world’s cumulative debt – now exceeding $100 trillion – continues to grow. This accumulation of debt and the ensuing slide into deeper dependency have been central tools of liberal globalization. However, the rise of political differences and the punitive instrumentalization of the economy are bringing this old model to an end. Is there a more equitable path forward?
13:30 – 15:00 Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak
15:30 – 17:00 Meeting with Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin
17:30 – 19:00 Special Session. Man and Time: the Role of Personality in Political History (LIVE: Russian, English)
Personality has always meant a lot in world politics, but its weight has varied at different times. Highly personalized periods were replaced by those when institutions and collective interests played a major role. Now the world stage is once again going through a period when it increasingly depends on the heads of state. What does the politics of strong personalities mean in the 21st century? Have we returned to the “diplomacy of kings” to solve the most pressing problems?
October 2nd, Thursday
09:30 – 11:30 Open Discussion – The Valdai Conference Results (LIVE: Russian, English)
Plenary Session (LIVE: Russian, English)
Stay tuned!
