Alexey Shipov, Board Member of ACIG Group of Companies, Participates in the International Forum Southern Dialogue

The International Municipal Investment Forum Southern Dialogue opened today in Astrakhan. The forum is supported by the regional governor Igor Zhilkin and it is devoted to issues of sustainable development of Russia’s regions. Alexey Shipov, Board Member at ACIG Group of Companies, took part in expert discussions of the event held at the federal level and he acted as a moderator of the panel session on October 13th on improving the efficiency of state and municipal government.

A plenary session on the recognition of undetected reserves for stable development of municipal economies became the official starting point of the forum. The session will be regulated by Igor Martynov, the Chairman of the Astrakhan Region Duma. The search for domestic resources to provide long term economic growth is one of the main goals for territorial development in our country. In this case the major practical tasks are imposed on local authorities. According to experts, it is the cities that have all those undetected reserves that can give impetus to the country’s economic development.

"Our country is going through changes now. Leaders’ efforts are aimed at the development of the economic sphere in order to fulfil social obligations, improve well-being and living standards of the population,’’ Alexey Shipov pointed out, addressing to participants of the session. The quality of cooperation between the state and business is one of the most important indicators in this context, taking into account the state’s role in the development of structure. The situation is rapidly developing in this sector – a number of projects in the field of public private partnership have increased and their production volumes are also on the rise. Many people say that the progress has become possible due to significant institutional and infrastructural reforms. It worth noting that such a main component as management is often missed when discussing structural reforms. In our opinion, the development of management tools and administrative competence in public and municipal administration brings a significant effect for strengthening relations among the state, business and the economic development."

The International Forum Southern Dialogue is aimed at attracting public attention to the subject of socio-economic development of the region, exchanging best practices in the field of energy management and improving the efficiency of implemented programs. Open discussions, training sessions and representations of successful social entrepreneurship projects are to take place during the three-day session. During the forum experts will determine systemic drivers of sustainable municipal development and work out new ways of economic growth. In addition, they will discuss issues of territorial self-government (TSG), social entrepreneurship, as well as aspects to develop youth initiatives with the help of such projects such as "Sustainable Future of Russia" Platform for Young Professionals and many others.

A detailed program of the event is available on the site of local government authorities by clicking on the “Southern Dialogue” banner on the main page.