Astana Economic Forum to host discussion on global economic challenges, prospects

Kazakhstan’s capital will host the 5th Astana Economic Forum (AEF) on 22-24 May 2012. The event will convene distinguished politicians, leading experts, and scholars from all over the world to discuss the challenges and prospects of economic development in the context of global transformation.

The annual forum has already managed to become a major international platform for dialogue about the development of new financial mechanisms and the improvement of old ones, the Kazakh MFA’s press service reports.

Among the expected keynote speakers and participants are President Nursultan Nazarbayev; former President of the Federal Republic of Germany Horst Köhler; Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani; Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Prime Minister of Georgia Nika Gilauri; six former prime ministers (including the UK’s Tony Blair and Italy’s Romano Prodi); 25 current and former ministers; 40 leaders of international organizations, corporations and businesses.

Of particular note is the participation of 12 Nobel Prize winners on economy and related disciplines, including John Nash and Robert Mundell, and other eminent thinkers.

One of the highlight events of this year’s forum will be the “Dialogue of Leaders: The New Financial and Economic Policy,” which will bring together some of the world’s most prominent figures in economics, business, politics, and the mass media for a discussion on global development issues.

The other major events are the permanent “Conference of Finance Ministers of the CIS Countries” and a conference called “Existential Crisis of the International Financial Architecture”, which will focus on countering regional recessions as well as developing new mechanisms to protect financial and economic stability. In addition, the third investment forum “Astana Invest 2012” will be held within the framework of the AEF. The investment forum will review investment opportunities and future prospects for Astana.

AEF participants will also address other issues, including economic integration, socio-economic policy, tourism development, protection of intellectual property, global energy and environmental strategies, attracting investment and introducing innovative technology.

Kazakhstan to hold 5th Astana Economic Forum on 22-24 May

In total, the Astana Economic Forum agenda includes 35 sessions of different formats with the participation of more than 5,000 delegates from 80 countries.

The Forum traditionally results in composing an open letter to the G-20 countries with recommendations for improving and further developing the world economy, which is sent to the Organizing Committees of G8 and G20 countries, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Participation in the development of recommendations for the G20 countries is available to everyone on the communicative platform “G-Global” - www.g-global.aef.kz [1] - created at the initiative of President Nazarbayev to increase the number of participants in the cause of searching anti-crisis solutions for the world.

The full programme of the 5th Astana Economic Forum, a list of confirmed speakers and the registration form are available on the event’s official website, www.aef.kz [2]

The Eurasian Economic Club of Scientists Association and 14 ministries of Kazakhstan’s government organize the forum. Among the other organizers are the National Bank of Kazakhstan, the Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund, the United Nations, the World intellectual property Organization, the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee, the Madrid Club, the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and others.