On October 26, the Moscow Headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society hosted a session dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the institution of public diplomacy and the 180th anniversary of the RGS. During the discussion, the participants presented environmental projects, research expeditions, and documentaries that help unite countries. The event is organized by Rossotrudnichestvo and the RGS. The session was attended by representatives of the RGS Centers in India and Sri Lanka, the scientific community of Brazil, public organizations of Austria, Botswana, Kazakhstan, and France.
As the moderator of the session, First Deputy Executive Director of the RGS Ilya Gurov noted, people’s diplomacy was a system of non-governmental relations based on cultural, scientific, and educational projects. He recalled that it appeared in the Russian Geographical Society back in the imperial era. One just has to remember Miklukho-Maklai, who was already fighting against colonialism in the middle of the 19th century.
«We were pleased to accept Rossotrudnichestvo’s offer to take over the organization of this session,» Ilya Gurov said. «The environmental theme unites us all. There is a certain imposed stereotype that Russia and the BRICS countries use their natural resources irrationally and do not effectively protect their own ecosystems. I don’t think we can agree with that. I would like to note that the first Askania-Nova Nature Reserve was founded by members of the RGS in 1857. In 1916, the Barguzinsky Nature Reserve was established to preserve the sable. It became the progenitor of the entire system of Russian nature reserves. During the Soviet period, we continued to actively work in the field of conservation of rare animal species with Indian colleagues, and then with Chinese ones. Today, guests from seven countries have arrived at the forum, which shows that people’s diplomacy can solve a difficult task: to unite people and cultures in difficult times.»
Ilya Gurov, First Deputy Executive Director of the RGS. Photo: Roman Mikityuk
Dmitry Polikanov, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, welcomed the guests of the event. He noted that of the 10 global problems of the planet, five related to ecology — not only climate, but also the conservation of biodiversity. The business session began with Igor Kapyrin, Director of the Department for Liaisons with the Constituent Entities of the Federation, the Parliament and Public Associations of the Russian Foreign Ministry, awarding Ratish Nair, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the RGS Center in Trivandrum, with a badge «For Contribution to International Cooperation.»
«The world is changing rapidly, and Russia plays a big role in this process, » said Ratish Nair. «Today, relations between our countries are based, among other things, on people’s diplomacy, the principles of which we jointly laid down during the Soviet era. I would like to point out that we value 'soft power’. Literature, cinema, and educational programs play an important role in the development of dialogue between our countries. Together with the RGS, we have organized a mobile VR cinema that travels through the southern states of India so that children can get to know the nature of Russia and feel the connection between our countries.»
Austrian diplomat Karin Kneissl spoke online. As an applied example of cooperation, she noted that in 2023, the Big Cat Alliance was created at the initiative of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He joined the forces to preserve tigers, lions, and leopards around the world. The Russian center «Amur Tiger» joined this association as a partner organization. Among the areas of joint work is conducting comprehensive research and developing innovative approaches to the conservation of tiger habitats.
Boško Kozarski, a Serbian travel blogger and host of the «Kulturista» program, spoke during the session. He shot scenes in more than 10 regions of Russia, including Dagestan and Siberia. The blogger noted that it was important to develop modern eco-tourism formats, such as glamping, which will attract an international audience of travelers.
Omolemo Somolekae, a representative of a South African non-profit organization from Botswana, spoke about experience exchange programs for young people aged 18 to 32 who have never left their country. First, the organizers select the best students whose study program is related to the «green» economy. The best of them go intern in other countries. Omolemo Somolekae also invited Russia to participate in this program and added that people’s diplomacy helped to move towards multipolarity.
Amur tiger. Photo: Oleg Bogdanov, participant of the photo contest of the RGS "The Most Beautiful Country"
Maksim Menshikov, the head of the RGS’s expedition «Along Pyotr Semenov-Tyan-Shansky’s Route», which took place in Kyrgyzstan in 2024 and 2025, presented international research experience. He noted that working with the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic had helped to obtain new data on the flooded cities of the Silk Road and the peoples who lived there. Oleg Dudkin, the head of the Five Oceans Club, told how during the round-the-world expeditions, civil science volunteers (people who are not related to scientific activities by profession) helped save animals. In addition, travelers have the opportunity to take samples of water or benthos from hard-to-reach places on our planet, transferring them to scientists around the world.
Osmar Moller Jr., a professor at the Institute of Oceanography of the Federal University of Rio Grande from Brazil, shared his scientific experience with representatives of the P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Russian and Brazilian experts have jointly conducted research related to the presence of plastic in the waters of the World Ocean.
Media work is important for the preservation and transmission of knowledge about nature and geography. Roman Lobashov, editor-in-chief of the «Moya Planeta» and «Zhivaya Planeta» TV channels, noted that thanks to Russian journalists, viewers in our country were able to discover 156 countries around the world.
Kristina Guseynova with a part of an ancient jug, an international expedition in Kyrgyzstan. Photo: Elizaveta Romashkina
The main focus of popular science programs is on ecology and wildlife. At the same time, as the media manager emphasized, it is extremely important to show a holistic image of the planet, as this helps to form sustainable thinking and a healthy, careful view of the environment.
Maria Buldakova