Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA): The Transition Journey and the Road Ahead
Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, May 19–21, 2013
On May 19-20, the IMF and the EBRD, together with the Swiss and Kyrgyz authorities, jointly sponsored a conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic to exchange views on the experiences and lessons of the twenty-year post-Soviet transition in the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) countries and the key economic policy priorities and challenges and going forward.
Participants included high-level CCA policy officials, policymakers and former policymakers from countries outside the CCA, high level academics whose research focuses on transition and growth, and management, staff, and former staff of the international financial institutions. The IMF focused on stability, growth, volatility and diversification, while the EBRD focused on private sector engagement. The World Bank gave an address on growth and human capital and infrastructure investment.
The forum was organized along four main themes, with a concluding session focusing on takeaways for the road ahead:
- The Transition Journey
- Challenges and Priorities Going Forward
- Macroeconomic Policies to Foster Growth
- Structural Reforms to Foster Growth
Disclaimer
The website contains papers and web links to papers that were presented at the conference. The views expressed in these papers are those of the authors only, and the presence of them, or of links to them, on the IMF website does not imply that the IMF, its Executive Board, or its management endorses or shares the views expressed in the papers.
AGENDA |
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Day 1, May 19, 2013 |
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| 2:30–5:30 pm | Bilateral Meetings |
| 7:00 pm | Welcome Remarks and Conference Dinner
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Day 2, Monday, May 20, 2013 |
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Session I: The Transition Journey: Experience and Lessons of the Past 20 Years |
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| 8:30–8:45 pm | Opening Address Min Zhu, Deputy Managing Director, IMF |
| 8:45–9:35 am | Panel Discussion
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| 9:30–10:00 am | Open discussion |
| 10:00–10:30 am | Coffee break |
Session II: Challenges and Priorities Going Forward |
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| 10:30–11:00 am | Keynote speech “The Unfinished Reforms in Central Asia and the Caucasus: What Next?”, Professor Gérard Roland, University of California, Berkeley |
| 11:00–11:30 am | Discussants:
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| 11:30–12:00 pm | Open discussion |
| 12:15–1:30 pm | Lunch Address: Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, State Secretary for Economic Affairs, SECO |
Session III: Macroeconomic Policies to Foster Growth |
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| 1:45–2:10 pm | The Caucasus and Central Asia: From Transition to Emerging Markets Juha Kähkönen, Deputy Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF |
| 2:10–2:30 pm | Discussants:
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| 2:30–3:00 pm | Q & A and open discussion |
Session IV: Structural Reforms for Private Sector-led Inclusive Growth |
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| 3:15–3:45 pm | Private Sector Growth in Transition Alex Plekhanov, Senior Economist, EBRD |
| 3:45–4:10 pm | Growth and Sectoral Reforms Ahmed Eiweida, Sector Leader for the Caucasus, World Bank |
| 4:10–4:40 pm | Discussants and Open Session:
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| 4:00–5:00 pm | Coffee break |
Session V: The Road Ahead | |
| 5:00–6:15 pm | Round Table Discussion Facilitator: Min Zhu, IMF
Concluding Remarks: Min Zhu, IMF |
| 6:30 pm | Press Conference (EBRD, IMF, NBKR, Swiss authorities) |
| 8:00 pm | Dinner/Reception by the Kyrgyz Authorities Remarks: Min Zhu, IMF Address: Zina Asankojoeva, Governor, National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic |
Day 3, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 |
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| 9:00–5:30 pm | Bilateral Meetings |
| 10:00 am | Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Introduction of the Kyrgyz som Speech by Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Zhantoro Satybaldiyev and Speaker of the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Asilbek Jeenbekov (By invitation of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic) |
