THE CONFERENCE “STATE, SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE DIGITAL ERA” – 10TH EDITION: INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES AND ACADEMIC RESULTS WITH IMPACT
On 11–12 December 2025, the Moldova State University hosted the jubilee 10th edition of the International Scientific Conference “State, Security and Human Rights in the Digital Era”, reaffirming the continuity of a mature academic project and consolidating a platform for critical reflection and interdisciplinary expertise on the contemporary dynamics between security, digitalisation and fundamental rights. Held in a hybrid format, the conference brought together university lecturers, researchers, doctoral candidates, students, experts and representatives of public institutions from the Republic of Moldova and several European countries, confirming both its international scope and thematic relevance.
The conference proceedings were officially opened on 11 December during a plenary session that highlighted the significance of the anniversary edition and the role of the academic community in shaping a human rights culture adapted to emerging risks and transformations.
In his opening address, Igor Șarov, Rector of the Moldova State University, underlined the sustained efforts made over the years to ensure the conference’s continuity and expressed appreciation for the partners contributing to the strengthening of the academic community. The institutional dimension was further reinforced by the intervention of Vladimir Cojocaru, Secretary General of the Office of the Ombudsman, who reiterated support for the scientific activities of students and academic staff, as well as by the message of Iaroslaw Turłukowski, Director of the Centre for European Studies at the University of Warsaw, who emphasised the relevance of academic partnership and cooperation.
In the same vein, Violeta Avram, Coordinator of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in the Republic of Moldova, highlighted the sustainable character of the conference and its commitment to the promotion of human rights.
The official session was moderated by Rodica Ciobanu, Head of the Department of Public Law (Faculty of Law, MSU), who stressed the role of the conference as a space of excellence and expertise relevant to contemporary governance.
The agenda of the first day included a special session dedicated to security, human rights and hybrid warfare, bringing together international experts and representatives of key institutions in a dialogue focused on identifying new types of threats and outlining responses tailored to the digital era.
In the same spirit of thematic openness, the inaugural programme also featured a roundtable on UAV systems in national security and crisis management, with emphasis on intersectoral cooperation, comparative law benchmarks and the practical dimension of the proposed solutions.
The conference proceedings also highlighted the support of institutional partners, including the Hanns Seidel Foundation, EcoContact NGO, the University of Warsaw, and the Institute for the Development of the Information Society.
The panels held over the two days constituted the intellectual core of the conference, offering a dense framework for critical reflection, comparative analysis and interdisciplinary dialogue on the challenges facing contemporary society.
The agenda addressed topics such as the role of public authorities in guaranteeing fundamental rights, the border as a space of balance between freedom and security, economic security and financial resilience, the impact of artificial intelligence, personal data protection, online hate speech, disinformation and legal responsibility in the digital era.
The second day deepened normative and comparative perspectives on the relationship between security, sanctions and the legal protection of the individual, as well as the transformation of private law in the context of digitalisation.
On 12 December 2025, the conference also hosted the Young Researchers’ Workshop, organised by the Department of Public Law of the Faculty of Law (MSU) and the Scientific Research Laboratory “Comparative Public Law and E-Governance”, with the support of Hanns Seidel Stiftung, bringing together undergraduate and master’s students from MSU and the University of Warsaw.
The themes addressed focused on the balance between security and rights, the limits of digital surveillance, the influence of artificial intelligence on the rule of law and electoral integrity, the risks posed by deepfakes and information warfare, as well as the opportunities offered by emerging technologies.
In the spirit of recognising merit and encouraging excellence, diplomas were awarded for outstanding contributions in several categories.
The valorisation of scientific results was further strengthened by the launch of the volume “The Rule of Law in the Republic of Moldova and the Security Crisis” (Rodica Ciobanu, Mariana Roșca, Veronica Mocanu, Oxana Chișari-Lungu, Oleg Pantea, Natalia Creciun), which was awarded a Diploma and the Gold Medal in recognition of its contribution to the analysis of the rule of law in the context of contemporary security challenges.
At the same time, the conference included an initiative with a structural impact on academic infrastructure: the donation to the Central Library of the Moldova State University of a collection of 48 specialised book titles, with a total value of EUR 5,591.91, provided free of charge through the Department of Public Law and the IurisLab – Research and Education in Human Rights and Sustainability Centre, within the project “Development of Climate Justice and Human Rights Education at the Moldova State University”, implemented with the support of the Global Campus of Human Rights.
Through its thematic coherence, plurality of perspectives, institutional and international participation, as well as concrete actions aimed at strengthening academic resources (publications and documentary collections), the 10th edition of the conference reaffirms the role of the Moldova State University as a centre of expertise and training, committed to promoting interdisciplinary research and the values of the rule of law in the digital era.
