All-Ukrainian academic essay competition: ‘Is it possible to expel Russia from the UN?’

The Institute of International Relations co-organised the first nationwide academic essay competition entitled ‘Is it possible to expel Russia from the UN?’. Four students from the Institute reached the final, and Kateryna Opanasenko was awarded third prize.

The competition was organised by the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation and the Institute of International Relations and International Law as part of the international #UnRussiaUN initiative. Participants explored the legal grounds and possible mechanisms for reviewing the status of the Russian Federation within the United Nations.

Fourteen students from various regions of Ukraine reached the final of the competition. Among them were representatives from the Institute of International Relations and International Law: Kateryna Opanasenko and Artem Tkachenko (International Law programme), Oleksandr Lyashevskyi (International Relations programme) and Dmytro Fialkovskyi (Regional Studies programme).

Over the course of two days, the finalists were in Kyiv: they visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Hennadiy Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine; they met with diplomats and members of parliament; and they presented their research to the jury.

The participants’ work was assessed by diplomats, leading academics and experts in the field of international law and international relations. The jury comprised Valerii Kopiika, Acting Rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, as well as representatives from the Educational and Research Institute of International Relations — Viktor Konstantinov, Head of the Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy, and Volodymyr Manzhola, Professor at the Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy.

The third prize was awarded to Kateryna Opanasenko, a student at the Institute of International Relations. In her essay, she draws attention not only to the question of Russia’s expulsion from the UN, but also to the future of the international legal order:

“The question ‘Can it be expelled?’ gives way to another: what should the UN be like to ensure that such a scenario is impossible in principle? Ukraine must be among those shaping the future architecture of the world order, rather than merely waiting for its reform.”

Партнерство ННІМВ із Фундацією Пилипа Орлика відкриває студентам можливості працювати з експертною спільнотою, презентувати власні дослідження та здобувати практичний досвід ще під час навчання.вати професійний зворотний зв'язок і застосовувати знання на практиці ще під час навчання.

Вітаємо наших студентів із чудовим результатом! Бажаємо нових досліджень, сміливих ідей і професійних досягнень.