Forums & Events
2021 e-CAMCA REGIONAL FORUM
e-CAMCA 2021 Regional Forum
Meet the talented speakers for each of our Forum panels below!
We are honored to have 30 distinguished panelists and moderators joining us next week from across the CAMCA region and beyond. Our panels are comprised of CEOs, CFOs, Chairmen, Directors, Senior Fellows, Acting Presidents, Deputy Ministers, Director Generals, Founders and more. We look forward to hearing their important insights surrounding this year's theme: "Economic Prospects of the CAMCA Region."
Learn more about the members of the CAMCA Network featured throughout our panels here.
(All times EST)
MONDAY, JUNE 21st
9:45-10:00 AM
“New Opportunities Across CAMCA” - Welcome & Remarks by Dr. Svante Cornell Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, American Foreign Policy Council
10:00-11:00 AM
Panel Discussion - “New Regionalism in Central Asia and Its Challenges”
Moderator:
Dr. S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, AFPC
Speakers:
Dennis de Tray, Board Member and Adviser to the President, Nazarbayev University
Dr. Subir Lall, Deputy Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF
Dr. Eldor Aripov, Director, Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Dr. Taleh Ziyadov, Director General, Baku International Sea Trade Port, Azerbaijan
Aziza Umarova, Co-Founder, SmartGov Consulting; CAMCA Network Member, Uzbekistan
TUESDAY, JUNE 22nd
9:00-9:45 AM
Keynote Interview with Dr. Sergei Guriev, Professor of Economics & Scientific Director of the Master and PhD programmes in Economics, Sciences Po
Interviewer:
Rakhim Oshakbayev, Director, Center of Applied Research “TALAP”; CAMCA Network Member, Kazakhstan
10:00-11:00 AM
Panel Discussion - “U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan: What Does it Mean for Political and Economic Alignments in the Region?”
Moderator:
Michael Doran, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
Speakers:
Dr. Omar Sharifi, Country Director, American Institute of Afghanistan Studies; Assistant Professor of Social Sciences, American University of Afghanistan; CAMCA Network Member
Ikram Sehgal, Chairman, Pathfinder Group; Chairman, Karachi Council on Foreign Relations
Amb. Gautam Mukhopadhaya, Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi; former Ambassador of India to Afghanistan (2010-2013)
Alex Vatanka, Director of Iran Program and Senior Fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative, Middle East Institute
Iskander Akylbayev, Executive Director, Kazakhstan Council on International Relations; CAMCA Network Member
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23rd
9:00-9:45 AM
Keynote Interview with Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Chairman & CEO, EmPath; Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Interviewer:
Samiullah Mahdi, Award-winning journalist and lecturer at Kabul University; CAMCA Network Member, Afghanistan
10:00-11:00 AM
Panel Discussion - “Impediments to Foreign Investments in CAMCA: Real or Imaginary?”
Moderator:
Gaukhar Nurgalieva, Senior Advisor, FMA; CAMCA Network Member, Kazakhstan
Speakers:
Yernar Zharkeshov, Principal and Head of Eurasia, Whiteshield Partners; CAMCA Network Member, Kazakhstan
Yusif Abdullayev, Acting President of Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO)
Dulguun Baasandavaa, Deputy Chairman, National Development Agency of Mongolia; CAMCA Network Member
Baurzhan Kankin, Chairman, Social Entrepreneurship Corporation “Shymkent”
THURSDAY, JUNE 24th
9:00-9:45 AM
Keynote Interview with Saad Mohseni, Chairman & CEO, MOBY Group, Afghanistan
Interviewer:
Ali Aslan, International TV Presenter & Journalist Zoom
10:00-11:00 AM
Panel Discussion - “Will a New Entrepreneurial Class Drive CAMCA Economies?”
Moderator:
Zabihullah Ziarmal, Director General, Afghanistan National Standard Authority; Chairman, World Trade Centre Kabul Afghanistan; CAMCA Network Member
Speakers:
Valeri Chekheria, Serial entrepreneur and hotelier; Founder and CEO of Hospitality Projects; Adviser to the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia
Abdullo Kurbanov, Co-founder and CEO, Alif Bank; CAMCA Network Member, Tajikistan
Khulan Davaadorj, Founder, Director and Chief Technologist, LHAMOUR LLC; CAMCA Network Member, Mongolia
Aziz Soltobaev, Founder, KG Labs Public Foundation; CAMCA Network Member, Kyrgyzstan
Abdulahad Badghisi, General Manager, Samarkand Bukhara Silk Carpet JV
FRIDAY, JUNE 25th
9:00-9:45 AM
Keynote Interview with Douglas Becker, Founder & Chairman, CINTANA Education; Board Chair, International Youth Foundation
Interviewer:
Dr. Mamuka Tsereteli, Senior Fellow, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, AFPC
10:00-11:00 AM
Panel Discussion - “Can Education Systems of CAMCA Countries Adjust to New Labor Market Demands?”
Moderator:
Yernar Zharkeshov, Principal and Head of Eurasia, Whiteshield Partners; CAMCA Network Member, Kazakhstan
Speakers:
Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, University of Central Asia
Fariz Ismailzade, Executive Vice Rector, ADA University, Azerbaijan
Hikmat Abdurahmanov, Co-founder and CEO, TEAM University; Co-founder, HMPARTNERS; CAMCA Network Member, Uzbekistan
Talant Sultanov, Co-founder and Chair, Kyrgyz Chapter of the Internet Society; CAMCA Network Member, Kyrgyzstan
Dr. Irakli Laitadze, Chief Financial Officer, GMT Mtatsminda; Lecturer at Ilya State University in Tbilisi; CAMCA Network Member, Georgia
[VIDEO POSTED] CACI & SRSP Forum Event: Human Rights Reforms in Kazakhstan
Human Rights Reforms in Kazakhstan
For several years, the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program has focused its attention on the process of reform across Central Asia and the Caucasus. This online forum marks the publication of a study of human rights reforms in Kazakhstan. The country’s high ambitions for its place in the world demanded a serious re-consideration of the country's human rights record, something President Tokayev has embarked upon in recent years. Dr. Svante Cornell will present his research on the matter, documenting Kazakhstan's progress in this regard as well as challenges in the implementation of reforms.
Speakers:
Svante E. Cornell, Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program
Amb. George Krol, Associate, Harvard University Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Former United States Ambassador to Kazakhstan
Moderator:
S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program
When: Thursday, June 17, 2021
The event was also live-streamed on the CACI YouTube page.
[VIDEO POSTED] CACI Forum Event: Central Asia-Caucasus Economic Outlook: Arising from the Pandemic, Building Forward Better
Central Asia-Caucasus Economic Outlook: Arising from the Pandemic, Building Forward Better
The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute invites you to the presentation of the International Monetary Fund's Regional Economic Outlook for Central Asia and the Caucasus, published on April 11, 2021.
Our speakers discussed post-COVID economic prospects across countries in the region, depending on the pandemic’s path, vaccine rollouts, underlying fragilities, as well as exposure to tourism and contact-intensive sectors. Policies will also continue to play a key role: in the short term, to save lives and livelihoods and support the recovery while ensuring macroeconomic resilience; and in the longer term, to accelerate progress toward more inclusive, sustainable, and green economies. The specific case of Kazakhstan and its policy response and recovery strategy was also discussed.
Speakers
Dr. Subir Lall, Deputy Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, International Monetary Fund
Dr. Nicolas Blancher, Division Chief for Central Asia/Mission Chief for Kazakhstan, Middle East and Central Asia Department, International Monetary Fund
Moderator:
Svante E. Cornell, Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at American Foreign Policy Council
When: Wednesday, May 19, 2021
The event was also live-streamed on the CACI YouTube page.
[VIDEO POSTED] CAMCA Forum Event: Uzbekistan's Emerging Private Business Development
Uzbekistan's Emerging Private Business Development
Co-organized by the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, the CAMCA Network and Rumsfeld Foundation
This forum examined the rising private sector in Uzbekistan, as experienced by some of the impressive young entrepreneurs who are making it happen.
Speakers:
Zafar Khashimov, Entrepreneur and Founder of the Supermarket Chain Korzinka.uz
Hikmat Abdurahmanov, Entrepreneur, Co-founder of HM Partners/TEAM University, CAMCA Network Member
Dora Atadjanova, Founder and CEO of “Teodora Goods”, exporter of agricultural goods, and “Dalatek”, agro-tech platform and mobile application
Anvar Irchaev, Director, Orient Capital Management
Zuhursho Rahmatulloev, Co-Founder, Alif Bank in Tajikistan and CEO, Alif Tech in Uzbekistan, CAMCA Network Member
Moderator:
S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at American Foreign Policy Council
When: Wednesday, May 12, 2021
The event was also live-streamed on the CACI YouTube page.
