Gaidar Forum “Russia and the World: Sustainable Development” opens on January 15
On January 15, one of the major annual scientific events in the field of economics in Russia – the Gaidar Forum – started. ACIG Group of Companies is the permanent partner of the Gaidar Forum.
In 2014 the Forum is dedicated to one of the most important modern challenges – sustainable development. During four years such pressing issues will be discussed as economic growth, its potential and the opportunities for effective management, the risks of innovative entrepreneurship, new industrialization, and controversies of resource economies and ambiguous consequences of modernization for economic and socio-political development.
The panel discussion “Sustainable Development in the Period of Instability” dedicated to the key areas of state economic policy opened the work of the Forum. Aleksei Ulyukaev, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian FederationMinister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Aleksei Ulyukaev, Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Anton Siluanov, President and Chairman of the Board of Sberbank of Russia German Gref, President of Unilever Russia, Ukraine and Belarus Laurent Kleitman and First Deputy Chairperson of the Bank of Russia Ksenia Yudaeva took part in the expert dialogue. At the meeting the experts analyzed the future of the global reserve currencies, new global financial architecture, as well as the measures for strengthening financial structure competitiveness, decreasing inflation, creating transparent information environment in the financial sector.
The panel discussion “On the Way to the OECD” focused on the analysis of the recent OECD economic survey for Russia. Angel Gurria, Secretary-General of the OECD, told about the results of the results and recommendations of the OECD. Rector of the RANEPA Vladimir Mau noted the importance of human capital development underlining the significance of professional education. Summing up the outcome of the session, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Shuvalov emphasized the crucial role of the OECD’s independent expertise for Russia, especially of comparative charts and economic analysis in different countries.
Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, President of Bocconi University, Prime Minister of Italy in 2011-2013 Mario Monti, Secretary-General of the OECD Mario Monti, President, Bocconi University, Prime Minister of Italy (2011-20Angel Gurria, President of the Czech Republic (2003–2013) Vaclav Klaus, Vice President for Sustainable Development of the World Bank Rachel Kyte, Chairman of J.P.Morgan Chase International Jacob Frenkel and Director of the Earth Institute of Columbia University Jeffrey Sachs took part in the plenary discussion “Contours of the post-crisis world”.
In his speech Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev told about the country’s economic agenda and a number of measures that can help Russia enter the growth track. He emphasized the importance of modernizing the majority of national institutes and procedures. “The key task today is increasing the quality of labour, goods, products and projects offered for investment, and the quality of managerial decisions aimed at increasing the quality of life in general,” Dmitry Medvedev said.
Besides, Prime Minister told about comprehensive measures taken by the Government of the Russian Federation to achieve priority tasks. Among them – facilitating professional growth and labour market flexibility through creating 25 million highly-productive jobs, modernizing business environment and improving business climate by 2020, as well as developing competitiveness and establishing modern transport and social infrastructure. According to Dmitry Medvedev, increasing population mobility is the most important resource for economic growth.
In the end of his speech, Dmitry Medvedev noted the importance of system efforts of the Government of the Russian Federation towards restoring stability and trust in financial markets, eliminating barriers for trade and investments, developing global and local capital markets and establishing new international centers, as well as increasing the quality of state regulation and a number of other spheres.
President of Bocconi University, Prime Minister of Italy in 2011-2013 Mario Monti said that fiscal discipline policy and structural reforms an effective solution for overcoming the crisis. In his turn, Angel Gurria, Secretary-General of the OECD, said that the country’s dependency on the global economic conditions and slower economic development in a number of countries – key trade partners – are the barrier for Russia’s sustainable development. President of the Czech Republic (2003–2013) Vaclav Klaus told about the prerequisites of sustainable economic growth focusing on establishment of proper institutional and legal framework in the country. The importance of harmonization of sustainable growth alongside with solving pressing environmental problems was underlined by Vice President for Sustainable Development of the World Bank Rachel Kyte. The report of Chairman of J.P.Morgan Chase International Jacob Frenkel was dedicated to the megatrends in national development in the context of instability. The discussion ended with the report by the Director of the Earth Institute of Columbia University Jeffrey Sachs. The expert told about the optimistic prospects for economic development of the Russian Federation. In particular, according to Mr. Sachs, Russia is a complex leader in such areas as space, aircraft industry and atomic energy which open new opportunities for dynamic achievement of the goals.
On Day 1 of the Gaidar Forum roundtables on global economic trends, national legal climate harmonization and the prospects for the energy markets sustainable development.
At the Forum, which will end on January 18, the experts will discuss Russia’s positions in the international Doing Business rating, the outlook for industrial structure, the mechanisms for effective regional development and several other issues of the country’s sustainable development.
Official website of the Forum: www.gaidarforum.ru