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Development Policy Analysis Division, DESA/Economic Cooperation and Integration Division, UNECE
International Conference

Geneva UNECE
April 2-4, 2008

 

Strengthening integration of the economies in transition into the world economy through economic diversification

 

PRELIMINARY AGENDA

Wednesday, 2 April 2008
10:00-10:45 OPENING SESSION  
  Welcome and Introduction
Marek Belka, Executive Secretary, UNECE
Rob Vos, Director, Development Policy and Analysis Division, UN-DESA
Heiner Flassbeck, Director, Division on Globalisation and Development Strategies, UNCTAD
 
10:45-13:00 MOBILIZING INSTITUTIONS IN SUPPORT OF ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION AND INTEGRATION OF THE ECONOMIES IN TRANSITION INTO THE WORLD ECONOMY  
  Chair:
Rob Vos, UN-DESA
 
  Institutions and diversification of the economies in transition: policy challenges
Paul Hare, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
 
  The role of institutions for diversifying the economy in the Russian Federation (report)
Rostislav Kokorev, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation
 
  Explaining the performance of firms and countries: what role does the business environment play?  (report) (tables)
Simon Commander, EBRD and London Business School; Jan Svejnar, University of Michigan; Katrin Tinn, Stockholm School of Economics
 
  Discussant:
Michael Ellman, University of Amsterdam
 
  General discussion  
  Integration versus partnership
Vladimir Gligorov, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
 
  The economic impact of 2004 enlargement of the EU
Mr. Maurice Guyader, European Commission
 
13:00-15:00 LUNCH  
15:00-15:50 ROUND TABLE 1: COORDINATING THE EFFORTS OF INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC INSTITUTIONS  
  Moderator:
Milica Uvalic, University of Perugia
 
  Kseniia Liapina, Member of Parliament (Ukraine)
Oleg Solntsev, Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-term Forecasting, Moscow (Russian Federation) (Russian)
Dragana Zoric, Serbia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (Serbia)
 
  General discussion  
15:50-18:00 MIGRATION AND REMITTANCES: POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION AND THEIR IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT  
  Chair:
Michael Ellman, University of Amsterdam
 
  Remittances in the SEE and the CIS: levels, trends, and determinants (report)
Robert C. Shelburne, UNECE
 
  Statistical issues in estimating remittances in SEE and the CIS
Artur Andrysiak, UNECE
 
  The effective use of remittances in promoting economic development
Gloria Moreno-Fontes Chammartin, International Migration Programme, ILO
 
  ROUND TABLE 2: MOBILIZING THE EFFORTS OF INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS; POLICIES TO CHANNEL REMITTANCES INTO INVESTMENT  
  Moderator:
Robert Shelburne, UNECE
 
  Hayk Mirzoyan, Department of Regional Economic Development, Ministry of Trade and Economic Development (Armenia)
Gloria Moreno-Fontes Chammartine, International Migration Programme, ILO
Mamuka Tsikhelashvili, International Economic, Cultural and Humanitarian Relations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Georgia)
Zamira Xhepa, Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy (Albania)
 
  General discussion  
  EVENING: COCKTAIL RECEPTION  
Thursday, 3 April 2008
10:00-11:30 INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION: THE POLICY CHALLENGE   
  Chair:
Joerg Mayer, UNCTAD
 
  Trade, investments and development in the Balkans
Vladimir Gligorov, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
 
  Discussant: Vitalija Gaucaite Wittich, UNECE  
  Trade patterns and policies in the economies in transition
Michael Landesmann, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
 
  Discussant:
Robert Shelburne, UNECE
 
  General discussion  
11:30-13:00 MARKET ACCESS FOR THE ECONOMIES IN TRANSITION AND MULTILATERAL TRADE LIBERALISATION: HOW MUCH AND HOW FAST?  
  Chair:
Saul Estrin, London School of Economics
 
  The process of WTO accession and the stumbling blocks in SEE and the CIS
Zdenek Drabek, WTO
 
  Regional cooperation in the CIS  (report)
Gulnur Rakhmatulina, Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, Kazakhstan
 
  ROUND TABLE 3: KEY ISSUES IN MULTILATERAL TRADE LIBERALIZATION OF ECONOMIES IN TRANSITION  
  Moderator:
Rumen Dobrinsky, UNECE
 
  Sergey Afontsev, Institute for World Economy and International Relations (The Russian Federation)
Zdenek Drabek, WTO
Tatyana Starchenko, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economy (Belarus)
Bojana Todorovic, Assistant Minister, Ministry for Regional and Multilateral Economic and Trade Cooperation (Republic of Serbia) (report)
 
  General discussion  
13:00-15:00 LUNCH  
  ROUND TABLE 4: EXPORT PROMOTION INITIATIVES AND THE ROLE OF THE UN SYSTEM  
  Moderator:
Jose Palacin, UNECE
 
  Sergey Afontsev, Institute for World Economy and International Relations (The Russian Federation)
Henry Jackelen, United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Bulgaria
Mamuka Tsikhelashvili, International Economic, Cultural and Humanitarian Relations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Georgia)
 
  General discussion  
15:30-18:00 ENHANCING ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION THROUGH FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS  
  Chair:
Milica Uvalic, University of Perugia
 
  Patterns of inward FDI in economies in transition, 1991-2006
Kalman Kalotay, UNCTAD
 
  Foreign direct investment in transition economies: strengthening the gains through diversification
Saul Estrin, London School of Economics; Klaus Meyer, University of Bath
 
  Discussant:
Malinka Koparanova, UN-DESA
 
  General discussion  
  ROUND TABLE 5: INVESTMENT PROMOTION INITIATIVES AND THEIR EVALUATION  
  Moderator:
Malinka Koparanova, UN-DESA
 
  Sergey Afontsev, Institute for World Economy and International Relations (The Russian Federation)
Carlos Griffin, UNCTAD
Dmytry Lyapin, Institute for Competitive Society (Ukraine) (report)
Gulnur Rakhmatulina, Institute for Strategic Studies (Republic of Kazakhstan)
Dragana Zoric, Serbia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (Serbia)
 
  General discussion  
  Friday, 4 April 2008  
10:00-10:30 ENHANCING ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION THROUGH FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS (continued from the previous day)  
  Chair:
Milica Uvalic, University of Perugia
 
  Border crossing facilitation: policy challenges for economies in transition
Robert Nowak, UNECE
 
  General discussion  
10:30-11:30 ROUND TABLE 6: ROLE OF INFRASTRUCTURE, CROSS-BORDER ISSUES, ENERGY, TRANSPORT AND ACCESS TO ICT  
  Moderator:
Ralph Heinrich, UNECE
 
  Rafkat Hasanov, Public Association “Investment Roundtable of Kyrgyzstan” (Kyrgyzstan)
Gulnur Rakhmatulina, Institute for Strategic Studies (Republic of Kazakhstan)
Andrei Savinykh, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus to the UN Office at Geneva
Erkinjon Yunusov, Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations & Trade (Uzbekistan)
 
  General discussion  
11:30-13:00 ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION AND MODERNIZATION OF THE CIS: OPPORTUNITIES AND POLICY CHALLENGES  
  Chair:
Sergey Afontsev, Institute for World Economy and International Relations, Moscow
 
  Strategies for economic diversification in the resource-rich countries
Rudiger Ahrend, OECD
 
  Policy challenges faced by low-income CIS economies
Marek Dabrowski, CASE- Center for Social and Economic Research
 
  Discussant:
Max Spoor, Institute of Social Studies, The Hague
 
  General discussion  
13:00-15:00 LUNCH  
  ROUND TABLE 7: KEY DEVELOPMENT POLICIES, INCLUDING MDGS, AND OBSTACLES OF THE LOW-INCOME CIS TO DIVERSIFY THEIR ECONOMIES  
  Moderator:
Max Spoor, Institute of Social Studies (Netherlands)
 
  Rafkat Hasanov, Public Association “Investment Roundtable of Kyrgyzstan” (Kyrgyzstan)
Hayk Mirzoyan, Department of Regional Economic Development, Ministry of Trade and Economic Development (Armenia)
Zamira Xhepa, Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy (Albania)
Erkinjon Yunusov, Department of CIS Countries, Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations & Trade (Uzbekistan)
 
  General discussion  
16:30-17:45 DIVERSIFICATION THROUGH KNOWLEDGE-BASED DEVELOPMENT: POLICY CHALLENGES FOR ECONOMIES IN TRANSITION  
  Chair:
Marek Dabrowski, CASE- Center for Social and Economic Research, Warsaw
 
  Promoting knowledge-based development in transition economies: policy options
Rumen Dobrinsky, UNECE
 
  National diversification strategies based on knowledge based development: experiences of CIS countries
Jose Palacin, UNECE
 
  Discussant:
Michael Landesmann, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
 
  General discussion  
17:45-18-00 CONCLUDING REMARKS  
  Rob Vos, UN-DESA  
     

 

 

 

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