As a knowledge arm of the CAREC Program, the CAREC Insititute creates knowledge and connects various knowledge producers in the region. The forum’s thematic focus and proposed topics are aligned with the five pillars of CAREC Digital Strategy 2030 (supported by TA6602). Organized annually under the auspices of the CAREC Think Tank Network (CTTN), the CAREC Think Tank Development Forum (CTTDF) has become the region’s most prominent event. Since its inception in 2016, every year, the forum convenes prominent thought leaders, practitioners, experts, government and business leaders, development partners, and media representatives from the CAREC region and beyond and provides a platform for experience sharing and candid discussions on regional policy challenges to find sustainable solutions for collective benefit. As in previous years, the forum is co-organized with the ADB-PRC Regional Knowledge Sharing Initiative (RKSI).
The seventh think tank development forum will occur on 16-17 August 2023 in Urumqi, the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The forum will discuss, among others, (i) findings of CTTN Research Grants Program (RGP) studies; (ii) the role of digital technology in spurring economic development; (iii) digital strategies, governance, and infrastructure; (iv) digital divide and policies for boosting digital skills and competencies; and (v) e-commerce, governance, financial inclusion, and financial technology.
Agenda:
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| 10:00 – 10:40 | Session I. Opening Ceremony Welcome Remarks Mr. Kabir Jurazoda, Director, CAREC Institute Opening Remarks Mr. Shixin Chen, Vice President, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila, Philippines Opening Address Mr. Wencai Zhang, Vice President, the Export-Import Bank of China, the PRC Keynote Address Mr. Zhijun Cheng, Director-General, International Economic and Financial Cooperation Department, Ministry of Finance, the PRC Keynote Address Mr. Weijun Chen, Executive Vice Governor, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) Group photo |
| 10:40 – 11:40 | Session II. Context Setting Moderator Ayumi Konishi, Senior Advisor to CEO, Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF), Beijing, the PRC Analyzing the Role of Digital Technology in Spurring Sustainable Economic Growth (20 minutes) Mr. Thomas Abell, Director, Digital Technology for Development Division, ADB (Virtually) Digital Strategies, Infrastructure, and Investment – CAREC Region’s Readiness for Digital Adoption (20 minutes) Mr. Talant Sultanov, Chair and Founder, the Center for Strategic Initiatives, Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic Open Discussion (20 minutes) |
| 11:40 – 11:55 | Coffee Break |
| 11:55 – 12:55 | Session III. CTTN Research Grants Program (RGP) Presentations: Country Case Studies Moderator Mr. Roman Mogilevskii, Senior Economist, CWRC, ADB, Manila, Philippines Leveraging Digital Technology for Green, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Moderator: Mr. Roman Mogilevskii, Senior Economist, CWRC, ADB, Manila, Philippines Kazakhstan Case Study Ms. Albina Muratbekova, Senior Research Fellow, Eurasian Research Institute (ERI) Kyrgyz Republic Case Study Dr. Burulcha Sulaimanova, Researcher, OSCE Academy Pakistan Case Study Mr. Asif Javed, Senior Research Associate, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) Uzbekistan Case Study Mr. Farrukh Khakimov, Mr. Farrukh Khakimov, Head of Department on Foreign Policy and Security, Development Strategy Center (DSC) Open Discussion (25 minutes) |
| 12:55 – 14:00 | Session IV. Bridging Digital Divide and Boosting Digital Skills Moderator Mr. Artem Levenkov, Head of Socioeconomic Analysis and IFIs, Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD), Moscow, Russia Technological Adoption, Inequalities, and Implications for Labor Market (15 minutes) Dr. Xiaojun Feng, Associate Professor of Sociology, China Agricultural University, Beijing China Reskilling and Upskilling Women for Bridging Digital Divide in the CAREC Region (15 minutes) Ms. Ana Pashalishvili, Programme Specialist, Women’s Entrepreneurship Acceleration, Europe & Central Asia Regional Office, UN Women, Istanbul, Türkiye Bridging the Quality of Education through Digital Technologies using the Flipped Classroom Approach (15 minutes) Mr. Syed Hassan Alsagoff, Manager, Science, Technology & Innovation Cooperation & Capacity Development Dept, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Open Discussion (25 minutes) |
| 14:00 – 15:00 | Lunch Break |
| 15:00 – 16:20 | Session V. RKSI South-South Learning Seminar: Digital Governance and Commerce Moderator Mr. Hsiao Chink (Benzhe) Tang Head, ADB-PRC Regional Knowledge Sharing Initiative (RKSI), Asian Development Bank The PRC’s E-commerce Success Story: Role of Government and Policy Implications for the CAREC Countries (15 minutes) TBC Dr. Sherry Tao Kong, Associate Professor, Peking University, Beijing, China Role of Private Sector in E-commerce: Learning from Alibaba’s Success Story (15 minutes) Mr. Remon Moes, Senior Manager Public Affairs, Alibaba TradeTech for Trade Facilitation and Regional Integration: Pakistan Single Window (PSW) Initiative (15 minutes) Mr. Syed Shakeel Shah, Director-General, Reforms and Automation, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Pakistan Building Digital Nation through Optimization of Public Services in Mongolia (15 minutes) Ms. Enkhtulga Ganbat, Specialist of Cross-Sector Coordination, Ministry of Digital Development and Communication, Mongolia Open Discussion (20 minutes) |
| 16:20 –16:40 | Coffee Break |
| 16:40 – 17:45 | Session VI. Financial Inclusion and Digital Finance Moderator Dr. Yixin Yao, Senior Research Fellow, Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Tokyo, Japan The State of Financial Inclusion in the CAREC Region (20 minutes) Mr. Khalid Umar, Chief, Strategic Planning Division (SPD), CAREC Institute Role of WeChat in deepening financial inclusion in China – Policy Lessons for the CAREC Region (20 minutes) Ms. Jieru Ba, Senior Researcher, Tencent Research Institute, Beijing, China Open Discussion (25 minutes) |
| 17:45 – 18:00 | First Day Recap |
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| 10:00 – 11:40 | Session VII. A Booming CAREC Startup Ecosystem under CAREC Digital Strategy 2030 Moderator Mr. Roman Mogilevskii, Senior Economist, CWRC, ADB, Manila, Philippines CAREC Digital Strategy Pillars: Strengthening Digital Foundations (30 minutes) Mr. Naveed Zafar Durrani, Senior Consultant, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Singapore An Overview of Initiatives under the CAREC Program: Startup Map, CIN, University Startup Challenge, and CAREC Innovation Decoded (20 minutes) Ms. Shuqi Su, ADB Consultant, China The Development of the CAREC Startup Ecosystem and its Impact on the Broader Digital Economy (20 minutes) Mr. Eli David, CEO, StartupBlink, Israel/ADB Consultant (Online) Open Discussion (30 minutes) |
| 11:40 – 12:00 | Coffee Break |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Session VIII. CAREC Think Tank Network (CTTN) Voices Moderator: Norbert Funke, Director, CCAMTAC, IMF, Almaty, Kazakhstan Panel Discussion on the Role of Think Tanks amid Geoeconomic Uncertainties (30 minutes) Panelist I: Dr. Zhang Jin, Vice President, Center for International Knowledge on Development (CKID), Beijing, China Panelist II: Mr. Zeeshan Salahuddin, Director, Center for Regional and Global Connectivity, Tabadlab, Islamabad, Pakistan Panelist III: Dr. Tuvshintugs Batdelger, Director, Economic Research Institute (ERI), Mongolia Panelist IV: Mr. Mahir Humbatov, Chairman of the Board, Economic Scientific Research Institute (ESRI), Baku, Azerbaijan CTTN Progress Report (10 minutes) TBC CTTN Blog Launch (20 minutes) TBC Suggestions and Feedback on CTTN (30 minutes) |
| 13:00 – 13:50 | CTTN Progress and Initiatives by the Secretariat Moderator Mr. Khalid Umar, Chief, Strategic Planning Division/ Coordinator CTTN, CAREC Institute CTTN Progress Report Mr. Batsaikhan Zagdragchaa, Senior Strategic Planning Specialist, CAREC Institute CTTN Blog Launch Mr. Dzhovid Khuseinov, Networking and Partnerships Specialist, CAREC Institute Suggestions and Feedback on CTTN |
| 13:50 – 14:00 | Closing Reflections and Acknowledgements Dr. Jingjing Huang, Deputy Director, CAREC Institute |
| 14:00 – 15:00 | Lunch Break |
| 15:30 –17:30 | Networking and Visit to Euro-Asia Commodity and Trade Expo |
