MOSCOW, Jan. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The 11th Gaidar Forum was held at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) on January 15–16. Around 18,000 participants from more than 30 countries registered for the forum, while about 800 journalists from the Russian and foreign media covered its work. Its substantive agenda included 85 sessions, where recognized Russian and foreign experts, politicians and business representatives discussed the challenges facing Russia and the world in the new decade.
The participants focused on global economic dynamics and Russia's socio-economic policies, the outlook for the labor market transformation and regional development, the digital revolution and the climate crisis. President Vladimir Putin's Address to the Federal Assembly on the opening day of the forum set the tone for the discussions.
Acting First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov met with the Gaidar Forum international experts to discuss the current trends in the global economy. The participants also considered other global challenges, such as climate change and demographic issues.
"The Gaidar Forum always takes place at the beginning of the year, an interesting platform for summing up the work done and setting new tasks, for discussing the most important current problems," Anton Siluanov said.
Other Russian officials participating in the forum included Acting Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin, Acting Minister of Science and Higher Education Mikhail Kotyukov, Chairman of the Accounts Chamber Alexei Kudrin, Chairman of Sberbank Management Board Herman Gref, and Chairman of the Management Board of Rusnano state corporation Anatoly Chubais.
As usual, the forum was attended by prominent foreign participants. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy praised Russia's achievements, stressing that the country has again become a superpower thanks to the efforts of President Vladimir Putin. Speaking about the future of Europe, Nicolas Sarkozy said he felt "deeply confident" about the social, economic and political future of the continent. Giulio Tremonti, former Italian Minister of Economy and Finance (1994–1995, 2001–2006, 2008–2011), noted the excessive bureaucratization of Europe. He also urged Europeans to end the confrontation and think about how to build relations with Russia and China.
Several leading international economists spoke at the forum, including Mathilde Mesnard, Deputy Director of the OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, Harvard University Professor Kenneth Rogoff, Columbia University Business School Professor Charles Calomiris, and Chairman of JPMorgan Chase International Jacob Frenkel, who chaired the Bank of Israel from 1991 to 2000. The speakers included experts in business education and heads of world business schools, as well as heads of international research centers. Member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rae Kwon Chung participated in climate change discussions at the forum.
The 2020 forum provided a valuable platform for a comprehensive review of the most important topics on the global and national agenda for the new decade. The discussions held as part of its business and expert programs confirmed the relevance of the Russian agenda, the coincidence of its key points with the global one and the effectiveness of the new forum format aimed at analyzing the situation and developing practical recommendations for national institutions. Despite the changes in the highest echelons of power in Russia, whose representatives traditionally take part in the forum, its program was almost completely implemented.
"The 11th Gaidar Forum, which actually opened with the Presidential Address to parliament, largely reflected the agenda and the points the President made. We got a unique opportunity to discuss the topics offered by the head of state with a wide range of experts. I am sure that a lot of what was said on the sidelines of the forum will provide the content for future discussions at business and expert events. While exchanging views, the forum's experts put together a huge array of useful opinions and proposals for the authorities and society to consider with regard to the main aspects of the current and planned global socioeconomic transformations," RANEPA Rector Vladimir Mau summed up.
The 11th Gaidar Forum organizers – the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, the Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy, and the Association of Innovative Regions of Russia – thank all the participants, guests, partners and journalists for productive collaboration and look forward to seeing them at the 12th Gaidar Forum.
Forum partners:
General partners: Gazprom, Gazprombank. Strategic partners: Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Russian Railways, Pharmstandard group, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Novartis Group, MSD, ACIG Group, EF Education First. Partners: Prosveshcheniye Group, EY, Huawei, RVC, Russian Agricultural Bank.
General information partners: Rossiya 24 TV Chanel, TASS, RBC, Business FM; strategic information partners: Kommersant Publishing House, Interfax, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Invest Foresight online business magazine, RIA FederalPress; main information partners: Anews.com, Gazeta.ru, Lenta.ru, News.ru, Profile; international partners: RT, Thomson Reuters, Sputnik, EFE, Cision, Pan Pacific Agency; information partners: Snob media project, PRIME economic news agency, RNS, Expert magazine, Parlamentskaya Gazeta, Polit.ru, Radio Ekho Moskvy, PRO Business TV channel, FINAM.RU agency, Davydov.Index, Strategia magazine, Ekonomika i Zhizn newspaper, ECONS.ONLINE website, Gosudarstvennaya Sluzhba magazine, TV BRICS.
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