ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will outline the global vision of the Astana International Forum (AIF) at the plenary session on June 8, reported the Akorda press service. Tokayev will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the forum.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Photo credit: akorda.kz.
Richard Quest, a news anchor at CNN who will moderate the plenary session, said it sits at the heart of this year’s AIF.
“Hosted by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the plenary session will focus on the state of the world today and the way forward toward peace, cooperation, and greater economic progress,” Quest said.
President Tokayev will share the stage at the plenary session with heads of state and government and executives of international organizations, including Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva.
The speakers will discuss the current state of the world and global narratives that shape some of today’s most important geopolitical trends.
The inaugural event will include more than 40 panel discussions and side events covering dozens of topics, such as climate change, international diplomacy and security.
One of the panels will focus on Central Asia and its role on the global stage amid new challenges, including water scarcity and diversification of trade routes in the region.
The panel, Mapping Central Asian Connectivity, will look at the opportunities in the region to reinvent itself as a major global player, modernizing its transport and logistics infrastructure.
The forum will bring together government leaders, international organizations, CEOs of major multinational companies, and renowned international experts.
The participants include notable figures, such as Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Zhang Ming, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Masatsugu Asakawa, President of the Asian Development Bank.
