BRICS Lex Model
The growing role of the BRICS as a group within global governance marks a significant shift in our understanding of this system. The five original BRICS members now have a combined GDP that is larger than that of the G7 in purchasing power parity terms. After the expansion of BRICS in 2024, this share will be even larger. The BRICS, which is not a classical international organisation, has shown its effectiveness in developing international cooperation in various areas, including investment.
At the same time, international investment law remains a rapidly evolving and turbulent area of international law. It faces various challenges, including the ineffectiveness of the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism. Working Group III of the UN Commission on International Trade Law has been pursuing reform of the investor-state dispute settlement model since 2017, and this work is still ongoing.
In the Kazan Declaration of 2024, the BRICS leaders recognised the need to deepen judicial cooperation within the BRICS framework and the importance of attracting investment and developing the economies of the BRICS countries, as well as developing a robust framework to address investors' grievances, with further consultations and deliberations among the BRICS countries. They also took note of the Russian initiative to establish the BRICS International Investment Arbitration Centre. These initiatives demonstrate the need to develop a new effective international legal regime for investment relations within the BRICS.
Within the framework of the Consortium of BRICS Law Schools, HSE University is proud to announce the BRICS Lex Model to be held in Moscow on 1-5 December 2025. The model will be dedicated to investment cooperation and will simulate a diplomatic conference on the adoption of a new investment treaty. Teams from BRICS+ universities are invited to participate. A team can consist of 2-4 students from Bachelor and Master programmes on Law, supported by a coach.
The task for the selection process can be found on the model's website.
The deadline for submitting applications to the BRICS Lex Model Coordinator Ms Ekaterina Svetlichnaya (evsvetlichnaya@edu.hse.ru) is 5 September 2025.
Date of the event: 1-5 December 2025