In light of the current necessity to maintain social distance, the Spring Session 2020 of the Coordination Committee of UNESCO Chairs of the Russian Federation took place in late March in the form of a distant meeting.

The session’s agenda included primarily reviewing applications for the inauguration of new UNESCO Chairs.

Some of the leading Russian universities intend to serve as their basic institutions, i.e.:

  • Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technologies (Chair ‘Artificial Intellect’), Moscow;
  • Higher School of Economics (Chair ‘Foresight Studies’), Moscow;
  • P.Demidov State University of Yaroslavl (Chair ‘Urban Studies and Sustainable Development’);
  • Russian Institute of Peoples’ Friendship (Chair ‘Present-day Languages, Migration, and Intercultural Communication’), Moscow;
  • State University of Yugra (Chair ‘Indigenous People of Yugra in Context of Globalization’), Khanty-Mansiysk;
  • International Academy of Business and Novel Technologies (‘Social, Ecological, Economic, Historical, Legal and Information Aspects of Urban Development – Distant Inclusive Education for Preservation of Historical Heritage of Cities’, Yaroslavl);  
  • P.Stolypin International Institute of Informatization and State Administration (Chair ‘Global Partnership in Education and Science for Sustainable Development’).

The UNESCO Chair on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue, St.Petersburg-Moscow, Russia, conducted detailed analysis of all seven applications, and presented its recommendations to the Coordination Committee.