"The Unipolar World is Leaving": Experts at World Public Assembly Outline New Global Order
Moscow, September 2025
The First World Public Assembly (WPA) became a defining platform for international dialogue as global leaders, diplomats, and experts declared that the era of a unipolar world is ending. Participants emphasized that international integration associations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are playing a central role in shaping a new, multipolar global architecture.
“The world has changed, and managing the world from one point is no longer relevant and does not relate to the interests of many peoples,” said Andrei Belyaninov, Secretary General of the World Peoples Assembly, opening the panel discussion “International Integration Associations: The New Architecture of the World.”
Speakers stressed that the world is undergoing major political, economic, financial, and social transformations, where integration, unity, and cooperation are replacing isolation and sanctions.
Piao Yangfan, Deputy Secretary General of the SCO, underlined the group’s growing importance:
“Today, the SCO unites a third of the world economy, a third of the world’s wealth, and a third of the population. We live in an era of profound historical changes, with a desire to create an integrated and multipolar world order.”
Sergei Glazyev, State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, noted:
“The representatives of the countries gathered here are not interested in war. The center of the world economy is changing before our eyes.”
Panelists highlighted the CSTO’s role in ensuring regional peace and security.
“The CSTO is the only organization that has the capabilities to withstand global challenges,” stated Samat Ordabayev, CSTO Deputy Secretary General.
Participants forecasted that new platforms for integration cooperation may emerge in the Eurasian region, demonstrating the continued effectiveness of multilateral institutions.
Rashid Alimov, former SCO Secretary General and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, offered a striking metaphor:
“One candle can light thousands of candles without losing its brightness — this is the principle of our international organizations.”
The session was moderated by Stanislav Korolev, Director of the SCO National Center for Public Diplomacy in Russia and Deputy Secretary General of the World Peoples Assembly.