WORLD’S PEOPLES ASSEMBLY : A GLOBAL VOICE FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
The profound and radical transformations reshaping international relations in the 21st century have placed immense pressure on the core values of humanity. Humanistic principles such as trust, unity and cooperation—central to civic and public diplomacy—are increasingly being weakened in practice.
Under the banner ofa the World Peoples Assembly, Russia, a country that is a victim of western information polarisation has placed priority on practical discussions that bring humanity to its essence. Moscow became the meeting point for a broad international conversation on trust, cooperation and the future of human relations when it hosted the Second World Peoples Assembly on September 18–19, 2026. Held under the theme “A New World: Values That Unite,” the gathering brought together over five thousand registered participants from 154 countries, according to the World Peoples Assembly. Participants opined that humanity remains the practical catalyst to bridge the gap that has been created in the world by geopolitical tensions, new agendas of spheres of influence and great power competition. In his welcome address to the Second World Assembly, Secretary General Andrei Belyaninov emphasised that the convening of over five thousand people from Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa among others reflected a shared purpose: to celebrate one another’s achievements and to demonstrate that a fragmented world with complex challenges can be surmounted through collective resolve, solidarity and perseverance under values that unite.
“Dear friends! We are all here for only one reason: to rejoice for one another and to show how serious obstacles can be overcome together. We will succeed”! The quote just emphasised in simpler terms the power of people-to-people connection over state or traditional public diplomacy. “Today it is especially important to understand: public diplomacy is no longer a supplement to international relations but one of the necessary instruments for preserving direct dialogue between people and nations’- Andrei Belyaninov stressed’.
Former Comorian interim president Hamada Madi Bolero, described the assembly as a gathering with a rare opportunity to speak freely, without diplomatic censorship. The atmosphere looked diplomatic yet with a common sense of sharing values that unite; a perspective that aligned with the first Brazilian astronaut, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil (2019–2022), Senator of the Federal Senate of Brazil from the state of São Paulo Marcos Pontes who used the space experience to urge humanity to correlate. According to him, space is such a beautiful place without borders. With this philosophy, Pontes connoted that the space ideology of humanity lies on trust, peace, unity and cooperation. « I like to imagine our planet as a spaceship with seven billion crew members on board. To survive, we need to learn to cooperate, think about others, and put ourselves in their place. There are plenty of problems on Earth, but we also have no shortage of strength to solve them, » — Marcos Pontes stressed, reflecting on what principles the space future should be built on.
Notably, Marco Pontes, was the first Brazilian to travel alongside NASA astronaut Jeffrey Williams and Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-8 spacecraft on March 30, 2006. All they had we a common mission though from different backgrounds.
Russia as a beacon of humanistic multipolar world order
Away from the dogma of multipolarity that settles largely on power, fame and control, the Moscow World Trade Centre and the Second World People’s Assembly pinpointed a new world order that rests on principles of sovereignty, cultural diversity, dialogue among civilisations and equitable international cooperation. The people come first in humanistic multipolarity. Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States Sergey Lebedev underlined that holding the event for the second time demonstrates Russia’s significant role in shaping a multipolar world order.
For his part, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov hailed the summit, noting that it represents different continents, civilizations, cultures, and religions, yet remains firmly committed to the enduring spiritual and moral values bestowed to us by our ancestors. These are love for the Motherland and loved ones, care for children, justice, and dignity. As per Lavrov, the World Peoples’s Assembly presented a platform to counter the glorification of Nazism. With these precepts, Lavrov among other dignitaries who addressed the assembly saw the platform as a solid space for people-to-people diplomacy with constructive dialogue and exchanges on the core values of life in an atmosphere of trust and integrity.
“I am confident that the Assembly will proceed in a constructive spirit, will serve to strengthen interaction along public lines, and will make a substantial creative contribution to strengthening friendship between peoples », Sergey Lavrov reiterated.
The subtle transformation from the Assembly of Peoples of Russia in 2013, to Peoples of Russia and Eurasia in 2016 and establishment of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly in 2017 eventually included the African continent in 2024 dubbed the Assembly of the Peoples of Eurasia and Africa,” reflecting a qualitative expansion of its geographical scope and the beginning of a new stage of international humanitarian cooperation with the states of the African continent according to reports.
Africa’s voice resounding at the World Peoples Assembly
The relevance of the African Pan African philosophy of Ubuntu came to the fore during keynote speeches. Dr. Gnaka Lagoke, Professor of Pan-African Studies at Lincoln University in the USA, founder of the Ubuntu Philosophy Foundation underscored the importance of coexistence underlining that nothing in the world grows in isolation. Noting that the philosophy was popularised by Nelson Mandela after 27 years in Prison, the doctrine dwells on principles of Interconnectedness, interdependence and collectivism. According to Gnaka, ideas and values contributed to the outbreak of global crisis including the First and Second World Wars. The Pan African scholar reverberated that contemporary society needs to build on the tenets that sustain communities, families based on justice and integrity for the collective human race. — « I am because we are » — this concept can be found in practically all African countries. Similar ideas exist in other communities as well. In China, for example, it is modern communism based on Confucianism. Gnaka added that similar values exist around the world. By way of example, he referred to the Russian concept of Mir and the Indian concept of Satyagraha.
The World Peoples Assembly consequentially is positioned as a global voice for connection and interaction between civil societies, families and nations in times of mammoth global transformation. It focuses more on constructive perspective with principles of sovereignty, mutual respect and inclusivity at the core.
The event brought together industry experts including representatives of public diplomacy, civil society, international organisations, academia, science, culture, education, business, youth movements and the media. The topical discussions focused on « Voices of Regions: From Initiatives to Joint Action , « Preserving Humanity — an Imperative for the Sustainable Development of Civilization, » « Historical Memory as the Foundation of the Common Future of Humanity, » « International Organizations: Effective Partnership in Science and Education, » aimed at identifying shared principles for cooperation in an increasingly fragmented world.
It culminated with the signing of over 30 agreements and memoranda of cooperation. Reports say they create a scope for further interaction in public diplomacy, education, science, culture, humanitarian and youth projects, and the development of direct international ties between organizations and expert communities. The two-day workshop resulted in the signing of the final Declaration of the Second World Public Assembly, which consolidated the main principles and directions for further international public interaction.
The World Peoples’s Assembly is an international union of non-governmental organizations and individuals with an active civic stance, who share and promote the ideas and values of social integration, strengthening friendship, harmony, and partnership.
A new world: Values that unite!
Wiydorven Clarisse