This year marks the eighth year of the initiative by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to unite international scientists and practitioners in the common search for answers to global challenges. In the context of the current crisis anomalies and geopolitical collisions, the anti-crisis ideas have gained new scientific and political significance in the global community. This is the opinion of the head of the international secretariat of G-Global, deputy of the Kazakh Senate Serik Nugerbekov.
In his famous article “Keys to the Crisis” the head of state said, “The whole world has entered into a global crisis and only the whole world can turn the ‘key to the crisis’” … but will the friends’ consent be achieved when the global policies often contradict with the interests of the economy, including renouncing the fundamental principles of development?
Today, there is no doubt that in the turbulent flow of global processes politicians do not always adhere to the classic principles. Such a thing as consent of the parties is still intermittent, while political consensus is often achieved by pressure and suppression. Nevertheless, we cannot say that the politicians do not seek alternatives and compromises in the current situation, when even large multinational corporations engaged in high-tech sectors bear huge losses due to the heating of geopolitical tensions. Whatever you may say, the bough on which global policy, as well as the economic system, sits should not be sewn off or otherwise everything will collapse.
The current crisis shows once again that the settlement of the key issues of our time using heavy policy tools is ineffective. Similarly, traditional methods of regulation of financial markets do not give any results. For example, today given the weak performance of most economies in the world, including due to the low oil prices and armed conflict in the Middle East, the U.S. Federal Reserve System (FRS) continues to hold interest rates unchanged. It means that the need to increase the money supply and stimulate economic growth remains an urgent task for the FRS amid the unfavourable macroeconomic situation in the world.
Due to the high interconnectivity of all participants in the global market and joint efforts of all countries of the world, it is also necessary to treat the monetary economic system that focuses on excess profits instead of balanced development. It is significant that this is a key condition, along with the systemic factors of the crisis the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, highlighted in his articles.
He was the first head of state to raise the urgent need for a radical transformation of the global financial and economic system and also noted that the transformation of the established system of economic values was a complex issue and has more than one financial, problematic side. The roots of the current economic problems and contradictions often go back to the previous historic upheavals, including the times of the Cold War. That is why the world of the twenty-first century requires not only fundamental changes in the economy and global governance, but also the transformation of consciousness of civilisation towards the responsibility of “one for all and all for one.”
Do you not think that similarly, due to overproduction amidst global poverty and unemployment in the world, there exists overproduction of financial instruments that are useless to get the world economy out of the crisis? What priorities in this respect do you implement in the current work?
Amid the modern threats forecast by the President of Kazakhstan in the articles “Keys to the Crisis” and “The Fifth Way,” is that by the beginning of the second decade of the new century mankind in its development will have generated not one, but a set of simultaneously-occurring crises that no longer requires confirmation because today it is a reality. At the same time, it is equally obvious that no state, no matter how powerful it may be, as well as neither the largest regional associations, can overcome these destructions. The current socio-economic situation in the world is eloquent proof of that. Therefore, the incredible efforts of Kazakhstan to maintain global anti-crisis discourse within the Astana Economic Forum, with an aim to develop science-based anti-crisis recommendations for the G20, the concept of the UN world anti-crisis plan and the active promotion of the initiative G-Global today are commended by the international community.
An outstanding figure of our time, Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, gave his assessment of the Astana Economic Forum: “Bringing people together to discuss the pressing issues of the time is very important and logical. However, to consolidate the leaders of world science and practice to solve global problems is an extraordinary and historic event. None of the Asian countries can hold the event at the level at which Kazakhstan has done, which is undoubtedly an outstanding merit of the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.”
During the Astana Economic Forum, Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Daniel Heller expressed confidence that the idea of a transition from G20 to G-Global was in sync with what the IMF is doing today as an international development institution, which is trying to find a solution to the data problems. Secretary General of the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council (APRC) Kobsak Chutikul also fully welcomed the initiative, saying: “G-Global is an initiative that can help create a world.”
According to official documents available on the G-Global communication platform, the opinions of many influential politicians and economists reflect their high level of interest and understanding of the essence of the G-Global project as a global format uniting the world. What are the plans for the further advancement of this project?
In December 2011, in his speech at the ceremony dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the independence of Kazakhstan, the President proposed the creation of G-Global, a democratic format of global dialogue. Currently there are many proposals from scientists and experts from around the world about the urgent need for holding the G-Global forum during the international exhibition EXPO 2017. The G-Global forum can gather global leaders, politicians, leading experts and academics, parliamentarians and representatives of non-governmental organisations in one place. Its platform can host such activities as the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, International Summit of Journalism, Astana Economic Forum, Parliamentary and Public Diplomacy Forum, The ATOM Project, Silk Road, Green Bridge and others.
One of the top priorities of the international project G–Global is to assist promoting the nation of Kazakhstan to non-permanent membership on the UN Security Council (UNSC) for 2017-2018. Kazakhstan is committed to a comprehensive concept of security, which includes the interconnection and interdependence of security, human rights and sustainable development. Effective solutions in the field of food, water, energy and nuclear security should become the basis for such interaction. With this agenda the international project G-Global, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, plans to intensify its work within the UN and other international organisations.
In the case of Kazakhstan’s election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, we will be able to use the membership in the UN Security Council to the maximum to actively promote the international project G-Global.
Hosting the G-Global forum together with the international exhibition EXPO 2017 will give a synergetic effect, expanding the quality of participants and strengthening the format and agenda of both events. International experts believe that the G-Global project attains a large mass of followers not only at the level of world politics, but also at the level of parliamentary and public diplomacy.
At present, one of the key areas of G-Global is the fight against the global threat to humanity – the Ebola virus. Since October 2014, the international secretariat of G-Global has been providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Guinea, within which a group of doctors and scientists provides training and advice to the Guinean doctors and specialists. In addition, at no charge the G-Global international secretariat provided medicines for the treatment of patients with Ebola, as well as 200 sets of reusable anti-plague costumes for medical personnel. Today the government of the Republic of Guinea, with the financial support of the Islamic Development Bank in Conakry, is building a multifunctional clinic to treat patients with the Ebola virus, which after commissioning will be transferred under the control of specialists and doctors of the G-Global international secretariat.
The relevance and the need to hold the G-Global forum is apparent, but at the same time will the forum not be a heavy burden on the budget?
Today, the negative trends in the global economy affect international business activities, including the largest transnational corporations (TNCs). In this respect, TNCs are most interested in the promotion of anti-crisis measures in the format of G-Global and they could act as sponsors of a special fund for the G-Global forum. In addition, international organisations and development institutions could assist the project, creating policy in a particular area. That is part of the financial cost for the G-Global forum that could be dealt with through TNCs and international organisations as the successful implementation of projects of G-Global will have a positive effect on the entire population of our planet.
