Headline: DDG Hill discusses Uzbekistan’s WTO accession path at high-level event in Washington D.C.
DDG Hill noted Uzbekistan’s accession process has accelerated in recent years, in great part due to the active political engagement of President Mirziyoyev. Recent presidential decrees have focused on integrating Uzbekistan more closely with its immediate region and more widely with the international community, she said, with important reforms being pursued in key areas, such as the role of state trading enterprises, export restrictions and subsidies, technical barriers to trade (TBT), sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, and trade facilitation.
“Uzbekistan has been one of the most active acceding governments of late. It has pushed ahead with economic reform, in the strategic region of Central Asia, with WTO accession very high on the government’s agenda. Reforms associated with the accession process play an important role in the future growth of the acceding country,” said DDG Hill.
She also cited the WTO’s World Trade Report 2024, which found that economies that reform their markets during the WTO accession process grew on average 1.5 percentage points more than economies that did not reform. Moreover, reforming economies continued to grow faster even after accession to the WTO, with greater diversification in their trade and stability in export growth. Other factors that boosted trade included the predictability of trade policy as a result of meeting WTO commitments, and good governance. She thanked WTO members and development partners for the continuous support for Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO. Her full remarks are available here.
The high-level meeting was organized as a side event at the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings and hosted by the World Bank. Vice President for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank Antonella Bassani said that Uzbekistan’s actions and changes in policy were notable and pledged the Bank’s assistance in key reform areas in support of Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO.
Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev said that Uzbekistan’s reforms towards a market driven economy, guided by the overarching vision of Uzbekistan’s 2030 Strategy, have led to more efficient resource allocation and increased competitiveness, aligning with the broader agenda of Uzbekistan’s WTO accession.
Following the adoption of Presidential Decree No. PD-85 of 3 June 2024, he said that “Uzbekistan is continuing to take bold and decisive actions to align its economic and legal frameworks with international standards as part of its path toward WTO accession.” He also noted that the capacity building assistance provided by the WTO, IMF and World Bank as well as international donors has been invaluable in preparing Uzbekistan to adopt best practices and to join the WTO by 2026.
Uzbekistan’s Chief Negotiator Azizbek Urunov emphasized the renewed momentum in Uzbekistan’s accession since 2023, on both multilateral and bilateral negotiation tracks. On the bilateral front, he said that Uzbekistan has reached agreement on market access with 20 members, a significant achievement, considering no agreements had been negotiated at the beginning of 2023. He noted the importance of comprehensive legislative reform, underlining that a mechanism has been introduced for the mandatory examination of all legislative proposals to ensure compliance of all new legislation with international norms.
“In the years ahead, we will continue to focus on building the institutions and infrastructure that will support Uzbekistan’s integration into the global economy. WTO membership is just the beginning; it is the foundation upon which we will build a more prosperous, diversified, and resilient economy,” he said.
The event also featured H.E. Furqat Sidikov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United States; Ms. Mona Haddad, Global Director of Trade, at the World Bank; Mr. Koba Gvenetadze, Resident Representative at the IMF; Ms. Zhanar Aitzhan, former Minister and Chief Negotiator of Kazakhstan; as well as representatives of the US Government and the private sector. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Antonio Nucifora, Practice Manager for Economic Policy Global Practice at the World Bank.
Headline: The 2024 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund — Uzbekistan’s path to WTO accession: Navigating reforms and global integration
Your Excellencies,Deputy Prime Minister Khodjaev,Vice-President Bassani,Ambassador Tai, (TBC)Distinguished participants,
Let me start by first thanking you for organizing this meeting and for inviting the WTO to address the status of Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO. Accession to the WTO is a subject close to the Director General’s heart. She has at numerous occasions indicated her strong support for Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO, and so I am particularly pleased to be speaking to you today on this issue.
Although Uzbekistan’s Working Party on Accession to the WTO was established as far back as in 1994, there was a gap of about 15 years before negotiations were resumed recently in 2020. Since then, the process has accelerated, both bilaterally and on the multilateral front.
This is in great part due to the active political engagement of President Mirziyoyev who has taken a keen interest in ensuring that recent economic reforms have focused both on integrating Uzbekistan more closely with its immediate region and more widely with the international community.
Among these, a key piece of legislation, which no doubt will be discussed further today, is Presidential Decree 85 of 3 June this year. The Decree, in one fell swoop, addressed several issues of concern to WTO Members such as State trading enterprises and enterprises with exclusive rights, export restrictions and export subsidies. PD-85 has provided the momentum to continue and even accelerate economic reforms in areas such as export restrictions and the harmonization of excise duties. Uzbekistan, under the very able guidance of Deputy Prime Minister Khodjaev and Chief Negotiator Mr Urunov, also continues to undertake reforms in other key areas, notably to update procedures related to technical barriers to trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), another area of concern for WTO Members. Reforms on trade facilitation had also been brought forward with most objectives in Uzbekistan’s Trade Facilitation Action Plan being implemented ahead of time. With regard to agriculture, good progress was also made during an informal meeting on agricultural support in Geneva just last month. It is good to see that technical work to update regulations and procedures is keeping up with economic and political ambitions.
Bilaterally also, Uzbekistan has stepped up its engagement with WTO Members and concluded a number of bilateral agreements over the last few years. Earlier this year Uzbekistan signed a couple of bilateral agreements at the WTO and my understanding is a further 4-5 may be signed before the end of the year, with the goal being to reduce the number of outstanding bilateral negotiations to under 10 WTO Members by next year.
Since the resumption of the accession process, successive cycles of Working Party meetings have shown continued engagement with WTO Members. Going forward, we will hold the 9th meeting of the Working Party in December for which documents have already been circulated to WTO Members.
From the Secretariat’s perspective, Uzbekistan has been one of the most active acceding governments of late. It has pushed ahead with economic reform, in the strategic region of Central Asia, with WTO accession very high on the government’s agenda. Reforms associated with the accession process play an important role in the future growth of the acceding country. Recent research by the WTO in the World Trade Report for 2024 found that economies that reform their markets during the WTO accession process grew on average 1.5 percentage points more than economies that did not reform; reforming economies moreover continued to grow faster after accession to the WTO, with greater diversification in their trade and stability in export growth. Other factors that have boosted trade include the predictability of trade policy which comes with meeting WTO commitments, and good governance.
As Ambassador Aitzhan from Kazakhstan and Mr Dang from Viet Nam are both here with us today, it would be remiss of me to not note the special role played by recently acceded WTO Members in supporting accessions. From a regional perspective especially, Kazakhstan has shared its accession experience with other acceding countries in the region, most recently at a training course on market access in goods for acceding Governments in Geneva. We, at the WTO, are very grateful to recently acceded Members for showing leadership and sharing lessons learned with other acceding governments.
Finally, let me also take this opportunity to thank the many other partners present today – the United States, the European Union, the IMF and the World Bank – who have been instrumental in advising and supporting Uzbekistan in its journey to WTO accession. The role you play is so important in helping Uzbekistan advance its economic reforms and once again I would like to thank you for your support.
Thank you for listening. I look forward to an excellent discussion this morning and continued momentum in Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO.
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
During a visit to Turkmenistan (Ashgabat), Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexey Overchuk was received by the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Gurbangulyevich Berdimuhamedov, with whom he discussed issues of bilateral cooperation between the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan in the trade, economic and humanitarian spheres, taking into account modern geo-economic trends.
Both sides highly assessed the level of Russian-Turkmen cooperation achieved through active contacts at the highest level. In October alone, the heads of Russia and Turkmenistan met three times – within the framework of the CIS and BRICS summits in Moscow and Kazan, respectively, as well as the international forum “Interconnection of Times and Civilizations – the Basis of Peace and Development” in Ashgabat.
It was noted that there is significant potential both in terms of increasing the volume of bilateral trade and in terms of joint implementation of infrastructure projects aimed at ensuring sustainable development of national economies and increasing connectivity in the region.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
SED attends China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education in Beijing (with photo) SED attends China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education in Beijing (with photo) ******************************************************************************************
The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, today (October 31) attended the 25th China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education (CACIE) in Beijing to share Hong Kong’s experiences in promoting internationalisation and diversification of higher education, and promote the “Study in Hong Kong” Brand. CACIE is a high-level and comprehensive platform for global educators to engage in dialogue and practical co-operation. Under the theme “Education for All, the Unknown and the Future”, this year’s Conference aims to forge a consensus on global education development and reform. Thousands of people from different countries and regions attended. In her keynote speech at the plenary session of CACIE on Hong Kong’s efforts in promoting internationalisation and diversification in the higher education sector, Dr Choi said that Hong Kong has five universities funded by the University Grants Committee which are ranked among the world’s top 100. Coupled with a sound education infrastructure, outstanding research talent and strong research capabilities, Hong Kong’s reputable brand name of quality education is widely recognised and acknowledged both locally and globally. “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” announced the establishment of the Committee on Education, Technology and Talents to take forward the work of invigorating the country through science and education, and accelerate the building of an innovative talent pool. At the same time, the Government launched a number of key initiatives, including supporting capacity expansion and quality enhancement of local institutions; stepping up overseas publicity to attract more non-local students to study in Hong Kong; strengthening collaboration with universities from all over the world to broaden students’ international horizons; promoting synergistic development of higher education in Hong Kong and on the Mainland to complement each other’s strengths; and nurturing cross-disciplinary talent, and pressing ahead with the development of universities of applied sciences to create multiple pathways for young people. She said that the Government has been actively supporting the establishment of alliances between higher education institutions in Hong Kong and on the Mainland to gather high-quality teaching and research resources, and to achieve mutual benefits through deepening co-operation among member institutions in areas such as scientific innovation and talent exchanges, thereby enhancing the level and standard of regional co-operation, and developments on different fronts. During the Conference, Dr Choi exchanged views on the latest trends and developments in global education with other guests, including Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress Mr Ding Zhongli; the Governor of Victoria, Australia, Professor Margaret Gardner; Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovations of Uzbekistan Mr Otabek Mahkamov; the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of International Education in the United States, Dr Allan Goodman; and the Ambassador of France to China, Mr Bertrand Lortholary. In addition, Dr Choi met representatives of Hong Kong post-secondary education institutions participating in the Expo to learn about the promotional efforts of publicly funded and self-financing institutions in expanding their international network and recruiting students from around the world to study in Hong Kong.??? Dr Choi will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon.
Ends/Thursday, October 31, 2024Issued at HKT 17:43
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
As part of his working visit to Uzbekistan, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Chernyshenko took part in the ceremonial opening of the new campus of the branch of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen in Tashkent.
The ceremony was also attended by the Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbaeva, First Deputy Director of the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva, Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Sergey Kravtsov, Minister of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan Khilola Umarova, Rector of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen Sergey Tarasov.
“This new education center symbolizes another step in strengthening the close ties between our countries, Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation, which have been reliable partners and true friends for many, many decades,” said Tanzila Narbaeva.
Minister of Preschool and School Education of Uzbekistan Khilola Umarova noted that today the branch successfully implements its mission, training specialists in the fields of preschool education, child psychology and teaching Russian.
“There are already more than 1,100 students studying here. And in the near future, upon completion of construction work, we plan to increase their number to 3,000, creating modern conditions for their study,” the minister said.
The Deputy Prime Minister thanked everyone who made the opening of the new campus of the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia possible, especially the heads of state. In May, the leaders of the countries Vladimir Putin and Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting at which they made a number of important decisions, including in the field of education.
“Education, upbringing and enlightenment are an investment in the future development of our countries. It is very important that it is at the site of the RSPU branch that advanced technologies are used, including those made and developed in Russia, which have proven experience and successful application. Teachers who will then teach our children study here – this is a very necessary investment. The opening of the campus is a celebration, first of all, for teachers and students. They have received unique conditions for work and study. Of course, we expect a responsible attitude from them so that these conditions are converted into an excellent result, which the leadership of the countries expects from us,” emphasized Dmitry Chernyshenko.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that today 14 branches of leading Russian universities operate in Uzbekistan. The republic also occupies a leading position in the number of students in Russian universities among the countries of the near and far abroad – this is about 53 thousand people.
Additionally, Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized the role of the Russian language in the development of relations between Russia and Uzbekistan.
“A new campus of the branch of the Russian State Pedagogical University has opened. This is a big event for our countries. The competition for training today is three people per place, all the popular areas are represented here. I am sure that the opening of the branch will become a new stage of our cooperation, will facilitate the exchange of teachers and students. For our part, we will provide all the necessary methodological assistance,” said Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov.
He emphasized that the renovation work carried out made it possible to make the external appearance of the main building of the branch as similar as possible to the façade of Count Razumovsky’s palace in St. Petersburg, where the oldest pedagogical university in Russia has been located for more than 200 years.
The Russian delegation inspected the library, computer room, Center for Defectological Education and Rehabilitation, and laboratories in the campus building.
Together with the Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexey Chekunkov, the Deputy Prime Minister also visited the Victory Park memorial complex in Tashkent, where he laid flowers at the Ode to Fortitude monument and left a commemorative note in the book of honored guests.
“Thank you very much for your careful attitude to the memory of our common Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Thanks to your museum, the younger generation will learn more about the pages of military history and the feat accomplished by our huge country in the struggle for liberation from fascism. The contribution of the people of Uzbekistan to the Victory is difficult to overestimate – the republic became a reliable rear and did everything possible for the front. Many of its soldiers died on the battlefield – we sacredly honor their feat in the name of peace. Our countries have common spiritual and moral values, and this is the key to the prosperity and successful future of Uzbekistan and Russia,” the Deputy Prime Minister wrote.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
On October 30, 2024, the National Economic Forum named after D.S. Lvov was held at the Information Technology Center of the State University of Management, within the framework of which a new master’s educational program of the Eurasian Network University “Economics of Integration Processes in the Eurasian Economic Union” was opened.
The plenary session was attended by: Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Maria Karelina, Co-Chair of the Forum, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Department of Institutional Economics of the State University of Management Georgy Kleiner, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Albert Bakhtizin, Head of the Scientific Direction “Macroeconomics and Institutional Theory” of the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Viktor Dementyev, Director of the Department of Support of New Businesses of the State Corporation “Rosatom” Dmitry Baidarov, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Department of Economic Policy and Economic Measurements of the Institute of Economics and Finance of the State University of Management Sergey Glazyev. The moderator was Director of the IEF of the State University of Management Galina Sorokina.
The renewal of the tradition of holding the Forum will allow the State University of Management to advance in economic science. This was stated by the Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Maria Karelina. Addressing all participants, students of Academician Dmitry Lvov and future economists, she also noted that this decision will contribute to interdisciplinary research, which is especially relevant today.
It should be noted that this year marks the 70th anniversary of Dmitry Lvov’s graduation from the Moscow Ordzhonikidze Engineering and Economics Institute (now the State University of Management). The head of the Department of Institutional Economics at our university, Georgy Kleiner, delivered a report to the audience. Georgy Borisovich drew attention to the fact that not many economists offered their economic paradigm to the world. Academician Lvov saw the essence of economics in the fusion of material factors, spiritual quests, emotions and institutional influences. It is thanks to this science that we are a society. A person is not only the main resource of the economy, but also a beneficiary, a source of progress. He should not be a hostage to the economic system, but a part of it. Dmitry Lvov’s key idea was that the economy should be a link between man and humanity. It was to study such global issues that Academician Lvov created the first Department of Institutional Economics in Russia at the State University of Management.
During the active work of Dmitry Lvov, the Internet had not yet penetrated into all spheres of life, but today the academician’s speeches would be constantly on everyone’s lips, because he outraged the space with uncomfortable questions. This was very subtly noted by the director of the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Albert Bakhtizin. Back in 2004, he drew attention to the depopulation of Russia, the unfair division of resources, noted the importance of contacts with China, described the instruments of pressure of the USA on other countries, that is, he saw the contours of the future world order. The speaker analyzed modern economic problems in detail, in particular, he noted that even experts in the USA understand how harmful excessive dollarization is for the world economy.
Viktor Dementyev, head of the Macroeconomics and Institutional Theory research department at the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, gave a report on the topic of “The Resilience of Russian Regional Economies under Different Shocks.” According to him, the modern economy has experienced four shocks: the Great Recession of 2009, the sanctions wave of 2015, the pandemic, and, of course, the second wave of sanctions, which is still ongoing. Research has shown that entities that are resilient to one shock are also resilient to others. But at the same time, methods for successfully overcoming one crisis do not always work under another.
Dmitry Baidarov, Director of the Department for Support of New Businesses at the Rosatom State Corporation, expressed the opinion that economic challenges facing Russia did not appear after the start of the SVO or during the pandemic – they have always been there, it’s just that the attitude towards them was different before. The history of Rosatom shows that if you pay attention to a gap in the economy in time, you can quickly and effectively fill it. For example, the corporation currently fulfills 88% of global orders for the construction of nuclear power facilities. Dmitry Baidarov regretfully noted that the paradigm of a competitive rather than a partnership economy, imported from outside, still prevails in Russia. The speaker said that Rosatom only realized two years ago how much engineers and economists are needed in production, and there are almost none left on the labor market, so the focus of the State University of Management on training just such specialists is very timely.
Sergey Glazyev, Head of the Department of Economic Policy and Economic Measurements at the Institute of Economics and Finance at the State University of Management, said that Dmitry Lvov was his academic advisor, with whom they substantiated the priorities of Russia’s new economic development and discussed the need to create state corporations as opposed to the fragmentation of production cycles. China has followed this path and achieved a lot, and we are facing dynamic catch-up, which is also impossible without the creation of state corporations. For an economic breakthrough, we need not just a sharp increase in investment, but targeted investment lines. The experience of Asian economies shows that this is the only way it works. If we followed the ideas of Lvov, who claimed that money cannot be a moral value and the core of the economy, we would already be world leaders along with India and China, where this is carefully monitored.
The second part of the plenary session was no less interesting and productive. It was dedicated to the opening of the educational program of the Eurasian Network University “Economics of Integration Processes in the Eurasian Economic Union”.
The program was presented by the Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Dmitry Bryukhanov, who noted that questions about the “fifth freedom”, freedom of knowledge, are becoming increasingly loud today, so the opening of the new program is fully supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and Rossotrudnichestvo. The Vice-Rector reported that the program was developed with the assistance of the Eurasian Economic Commission and about 20 master’s students have already been enrolled, and training will start this week. The process will be hybrid, for which a special information environment has been developed.
One of the developers of the program, Deputy Director of the Department of Macroeconomic Policy of the Eurasian Economic Commission Kanybek Azhekbarov wished all applicants good studies and drew the attention of those gathered to the fact that the program was created on the basis of additional professional education, which has already trained 40 specialists.
The head of the program, Sergey Glazyev, thanked the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the government of Kyrgyzstan and the State University of Management for their support. He shared plans to expand the program and noted that the Eurasian Economic Union and its labor market cannot effectively exist without a common educational space, and the State University of Management is an excellent platform to begin forming it.
At the end of the new program, students were presented with a symbolic pass to the State University of Management. After the break, the Forum continued in sections and round tables.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 10/30/2024
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Workers walking by a solar power plant in Kazakhstan
Article | 30 October 2024 Read time: 6 mins
SHARE THIS PAGE
IF-CAP is the first leveraged guarantee mechanism for climate finance to ever be adopted by a multilateral development bank.
Various simulations have shown that for every $1 that is guaranteed, up to $4.5 of new climate finance will be generated under IF-CAP’s mechanism.
IF-CAP will strengthen ADB’s developing member countries’ capacity to develop their low-carbon and climate-resilient strategies and build a larger pipeline of potential investments.
What is IF-CAP?
The Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific, or IF-CAP, is a multi-donor financing partnership facility with the goal of scaling-up finance for accelerated action against climate change in Asia and the Pacific. IF-CAP partners will provide guarantees for parts of ADB’s sovereign loan portfolios to enable ADB to free up capital to increase lending for climate investments. Supplementary grants will facilitate project preparation, capacity building, and knowledge solutions.
Why is IF-CAP being formed?
The battle against climate change will be won or lost in Asia and the Pacific. And our region is uniquely vulnerable to the impacts. More than 40% of climate-related disasters occurred in Asia and the Pacific since the start of the century, affecting nearly 3.6 billion people. ADB estimates that $1.7 trillion per year will need to be invested in infrastructure in developing Asia between 2016-2030 to meet both climate and development goals. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) says the year 2030 is a significant crossroad after which it will become considerably harder to meet climate targets.
As Asia and the Pacific’s climate bank, the Asian Development Bank is spearheading significant climate change financing and expertise across the region. IF-CAP is the first leveraged guarantee mechanism for climate finance to ever be adopted by a multilateral development bank. It is inspired by the International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd), which aims to use innovative financing to unlock new education funding in low-and middle-income countries.
What will IF-CAP do?
IF-CAP will allow ADB to significantly increase climate finance for investments that are aligned with the Paris Agreement and other key ADB policies, including the forthcoming Climate Change Action Plan.
With a model of “$1 in, $4.5 out”, IF-CAP’s current guarantee size of $2.5 billion will create over $11 billion in climate finance for much-needed climate projects across Asia and the Pacific. Alongside lending facilitated by IF-CAP, ADB will provide up to $1 billion in concessional ordinary capital resources lending (COL) from its own resources, in support of projects enabled by IF-CAP’s guarantee structure. In total, resources aligned with IF-CAP amount to over $12 billion.
IF-CAP enabled projects will address both climate change mitigation, which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change adaptation, which focuses on building resilience to the worsening effects of climate change. These investments could cover a wide range of sectors, such as transportation, energy, urban, and agriculture and natural resources, as well as social sectors such as health and education, for projects with high climate impacts.
What will IF-CAP not do?
IF-CAP will not support new or existing fossil fuel-based electricity generation facilities or dedicated transmission, or any new or existing natural gas-related projects. Climate finance enabled by IF-CAP will not be used towards early retirement or repurposing of fossil fuel fired power plants.
Developing Asia’s share of global greenhouse gas emissions nearly doubled,from 22% in 1990 to 44% in 2019 and is expected to remain at this level until mid-century under current policies.
Asia and the Pacific can only realize its climate goals if it pursues a transition away from coal-based energy in the near term.
How does the leverage mechanism work?
The program is based on the use of financial guarantees from our partners. By guaranteeing a portfolio of ADB sovereign loans on a first-loss basis, they will help shoulder some of the loss in case of a default by one of our borrowers included in our portfolio.
This is a groundbreaking arrangement because IF-CAP’s portfolio guarantee enables ADB to optimize the usage of our balance sheet, supported by the strength of our triple-A credit ratings and preferred creditor status. This allows ADB to reduce the capital held for credit risk and release more capital for climate loans. Every dollar of guarantee into IF-CAP will result in the capacity to provide more climate finance for eligible projects. Simulations show that for every $1 that is guaranteed, $4.5 of climate finance could be generated. That is a fundamental shift from the traditional “one dollar in, one dollar out” facilities at MDBs, because of IF-CAP’s leverage effect.
Who are the partners supporting IF-CAP?
IF-CAP’s founding partners are Denmark, Japan, Norway, Republic of Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 2023, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet established a trust fund under the IF-CAP Financing Partnership Facility.
What sovereign portfolios will their guarantees cover?
IF-CAP will cover a dynamic and diversified reference portfolio consisting of ADB’s exposures to a board spectrum of developing member countries, which have been identified to achieve the desired leverage based on the risk appetite of the partners.
Which countries are eligible for IF-CAP financing?
All ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs) are eligible. Individual financing partners may exercise discretion for certain projects based on their policies and priorities.
Will IF-CAP differ from ADB’s regular climate financing?
Functionally, there will be no difference. IF-CAP’s role will be to enable ADB to approve climate financing more quickly and at a higher volume.
What are the benefits of IF-CAP?
For DMCs, IF-CAP can help them advance operations with high climate ambition that are currently not in their pipeline, increase climate finance components of existing pipeline projects, and enable greater visibility and demonstration effects for projects including those with innovative components or high climate impact.
For IF-CAP partners, it can enable them to make a greater impact through a leveraged guarantee mechanism not offered by other financing partnership facilities, providing them with an effective and efficient way to fight climate change in support of their national commitments.
For ADB, IF-CAP is an innovative method to optimize our balance sheet, unlock capital resources, and increase our lending capacity by over $11 billion so we can make more resources available for critical climate projects in Asia and the Pacific.
Will IF-CAP contribute to ADB’s ambition of $100 billion climate financing for 2019-2030?
IF-CAP will be one of the flagship instruments to enable ADB to reach its climate finance target beyond $100 billion and support our target for climate finance to reach 50% of the total committed financing volume by 2030.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: OSCE trains trainers on media literacy in Turkmenistan
Participants discuss a practical assignment during an OSCE-organized train-the-trainer course on media literacy, OSCE, Ashgabat, 29 November 2024 (OSCE) Photo details
Media literacy and methods of teaching media literacy skills were in focus of an OSCE-organized train-the-trainer course that took place on 29 and 30 October 2024.
The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the course to provide support in preparing a pool of national trainers on media literacy and contribute to the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan for 2021-2025 (NHRAP). The train-the-trainer course brought together representatives of Turkmenistan’s national media and institutions involved in the implementation of NHRAP.
The training course highlighted general approaches to media literacy, its role and challenges related to the modern media sphere. International experts elaborated on the classification of hate speech, disinformation and misinformation and offered participants an opportunity to analyze examples of these phenomena.
“The 2024 OSCE Chairpersonship of Malta included media literacy in its priorities for this year and organized a conference to discuss the interlinkage between media literacy and democracy,” said John MacGregor, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat at the opening of the training course.
“Indeed, media literacy skills are needed today as never before to efficiently exercise our human rights to freedom of expression and access to information both on- and offline,” stressed MacGregor.
Participants explored methods of delivering training activities and practiced planning their training courses. International experts expanded on the methodology of factchecking, its concept and formats, as well as signs of fake news and verification algorithms.
“I am confident that our participants have a huge potential to become national trainers and take lead in implementing OSCE commitments related to the freedom of the media and freedom of expression,” concluded MacGregor his opening speech.
Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –
On the first day of the conference, four thematic sessions were held. The first was dedicated to creative cities. “This is a complex topic, and now in Russia it is very acute, very relevant, popular. In 2020, this was completely different, four years have changed everything. Our measurements show that creative industries are incredibly unevenly distributed across regions and cities and are concentrated in certain places. That is, they are very selective. This is very important knowledge, and of course, I want to understand what kind of cities and spaces are that attract the creative industry, and what their secret is,” shared the session moderator, Director Center “Russian Cluster Observatory” Evgeny Kutsenko, Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
“The key feature of our rating is that it provides an information base for making management decisions in the field of urban management. Another feature is a truly unique system of indicators: we do not use municipal statistics, we do not use expert assessments, we use data from independent platforms that aggregate information about the best representatives of creative industries, that is, about the leaders of creative industries,” she said.
The study included eight industries that together account for about 90% of the income of the entire creative sector in the world. These are cinema and animation, computer games, music, fashion, advertising and PR, architecture, industrial design and art, which includes literature, performing arts and contemporary art.
The top 5 cities with the highest concentration of creative industry leaders include London, New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Paris. “If we look at this rating, we will see that in the top twenty there is parity between the East and the West, and in the top thirty there are more Western cities. Accordingly, we can say that the East is declaring itself as a full-fledged participant in the creative industries market,” Victoria Boos noted.
At the same time, the study showed that the top five cities are distinguished by a very large gap from all other cities. “You shouldn’t think that mega-creative cities only do what they do, pull creative leaders away from other settlements. The fact is that these mega-creative cities develop themselves and create creative leaders themselves,” the speaker emphasized.
The researchers also noted that over the past two years, the proportion between developed countries and the Global South in terms of the number of creative industry representatives has changed. Today, every tenth artist who has released the most downloaded music tracks is a representative of Latin America, while 150 of the most popular fashion brands, designers, and architectural firms are concentrated in the countries of North Africa and West Asia.
Creative industries are also developing in small towns – they have their own special style of creativity. It turned out that in some industries, more than 5% of stars are concentrated in cities with a population of less than 250 thousand people.
Over the past year, many cities have shown impressive dynamics, the speaker noted. For example, Dubai rose from 76th to 38th place, and Tokyo entered the top three. Victoria Boos emphasized that creative support measures are needed to develop creative industries. For example, a special economic zone for creative industries is being developed in Dubai. Similar zones have recently begun to appear and develop in China. In Australia, there are three professional associations in the field of architecture and sustainable construction. In Chile, localized music streaming services are developing. Korea subsidizes cable TV prices. India and Russia are creating film cities.
Also speaking at the session were the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Creative Initiatives and Cultural Heritage Foundation (Kazakhstan) Dina Abdrakhmet, the co-founder and Chairman of the Expert Council of the Agency for Strategic Development “CENTER” Sergey Georgievsky and the Chairman of RuGBC Guy Ims.
The second session was devoted to the management of creative industries in Russia, the third to strategic planning of creative industries and best global practices, and the fourth to education and skills in this area.
On the second day of the session, October 31, the IV International Forum of Young Researchers of the Creative Economy will take place. The authors of scientific papers that have passed the competitive selection will present their reports.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Headline: Members address digitalization, capacity building at trade facilitation meeting
In line with the Committee’s 2024 theme “Use of Digitalization to Facilitate Trade,” five members – China, El Salvador, Georgia, Jamaica, and Japan – shared national experiences with the use of digitalization in the “Single Window for Trade Facilitation” process. Under the TFA, members undertake to establish a single window enabling traders to submit documentation and data related to the importation, exportation, or transit of goods through a single entry point.
In addition, another six members – Bolivia, Chile, Fiji, the Kyrgyz Republic, Nicaragua, and Uzbekistan – made presentations at the Committee meeting on different topics related to TFA implementation, such as average release times for goods, pre-arrival processing, electronic certification of cross-border shipment of plastics, digitalization of border procedures, and regional trade facilitation strategies.
The TFA entered into force in 2017 and contains provisions for expediting the movement, release, and clearance of goods, including goods in transit, thereby enhancing efficiency, and promoting greater cooperation in cross-border transactions. It is the first WTO agreement in which developing members and least developed country (LDC) members can determine their own implementation schedules, in accordance with their national priorities and capacities, and seek to acquire implementation capacity through the provision of related assistance and support.
Technical assistance and capacity building
The Committee also organized a dedicated session on 24 October focused on technical assistance and capacity building, which allowed beneficiary and donor members as well as international development partners to interact and exchange ideas on the topic.
Members received an update on progress in technical assistance and capacity building support for the next two-year period through 2026, including a status report from the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility, which was set up to help developing and least developed country (LDC) members in the implementation of the TFA. This year, members redesigned the dedicated session to focus on interactive panel discussions. A first discussion took place on enhancing the coordination of technical assistance and capacity building, followed by a round-table discussion where members involved in both the delivery and receipt of technical assistance and capacity building addressed how to mobilize such support for sustained reform.
The Chair expressed appreciation for the constructive engagement of all members, which enriched the discussion and highlighted the importance of collaboration and the need to address ongoing challenges for sustained support. Additionally, member insights on coordination, monitoring, and tailored assistance will contribute to strengthening implementation efforts and ensuring that trade facilitation benefits all members, including developing and LDC members.
Separately, the United States presented a communication on technical assistance and capacity building which outlines considerations regarding its process of delivering technical assistance, including how to identify specific national contacts, prepare for engagement with donors, and contact donors. During the course of the meeting, the United Kingdom also circulated a paper outlining some general guidance that countries could follow to help guide them in seeking and successfully utilising collaboration with donors for capacity building support.
Other Committee work
The WTO Secretariat provided a status report concerning the ratification and implementation of the TFA. Notifications submitted by developing and LDC members currently show they have committed to implement 79% of their TFA obligations. Developed members were required to implement all provisions of the TFA from its entry into force.
Other topics covered during the meeting included the United States’ concern over Indonesia’s customs procedures for intangible products. In addition, members continued discussions on a revised version of a Committee paper entitled “Good Practices and Building Blocks of Successful National Trade Facilitation Committees”, which seeks to reflect the experiences shared by members and international organizations in this area.
The next committee meetings will be held on 12-13 March, 4-5 June and 21-23 October 2025.
All presentations made are available here.
If you would like to receive news on trade facilitation, subscribe to the TFA Newsbytes here.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, elevates off-ramp experiences for crypto users in more regions with the Bybit Card. Officially open for registration for new users in select regions, the Bybit Card marks another step forward in the company’s mission to enable digital asset investors worldwide to access, hold and spend their cryptocurrencies with ease and confidence.
In collaboration with S1LKPAY, principal member of Mastercard’s payment network and a provider of Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and Card-as-a-Service (CaaS), the Bybit Card is now accepting applications from customers of Bybit Limited, the entity regulated by the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA). Having obtained the full license in Sep., this is the first time Bybit Limited (AFSA) issued a prepaid card for international customers.
To celebrate the launch, eligible users who successfully register for the campaign will receive 10% cashback up to 600 USD for a limited time only. The Bybit Card simplifies the integration of crypto into everyday spending by offering users the ability to make payments in multiple currencies wherever Mastercard is accepted worldwide.
The Bybit Card has been mapping out new markets globally throughout 2024, now serving customers in multiple markets across four continents.
“Bybit is dedicated to bridging the gap between our customers’ digital assets and their real-world needs. As the Bybit Card continues to gain traction, it is being recognized as a trusted and easy-to-use crypto payment solution. We’re excited to welcome more users to the future of crypto and are committed to delivering more rewards and features in the near future,” said Joan Han, Sales and Marketing Director at Bybit. “SILKPAY is the first in the region to bring cutting-edge digital asset payment technology to market. Our partnership with Bybit brings together complementary strengths, enabling us to deliver more secure, seamless, and faster transactions through the Bybit Card. Together, we are setting a new standard for innovation and inclusion in the region’s financial landscape,” said Gani Uzbekov, Founder and CEO of SILKPAY.
Key Features of the Bybit Card
Free virtual card: Zero fees for the virtual Bybit Card
No hidden charges: No annual or monthly fees
Attractive rewards: Up to $600 USD in rewards during the promotional period with 10% cashback, followed by 2-10% rebates and up to 8% APY
Instant access: Virtual card available immediately for use
Wide range of digital assets: The Bybit Card supports USDT, BTC, ETH, and more.
Bybit is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving over 50 million users. Established in 2018, Bybit provides a professional platform where crypto investors and traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, 24/7 customer service, and multilingual community support. Bybit is a proud partner of Formula One’s reigning Constructors’ and Drivers’ champions: the Oracle Red Bull Racing team.
For more details about Bybit, users can visit: Bybit Press
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Their mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, their innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Mastercard decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything they do inside and outside of their company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, they are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.
Today, during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16), the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, announced a total of $62 million in funding for the following projects
Today, during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16), the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, announced a total of $62 million in funding for the following projects:
Project: Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund Partner: Conservation International Funding: $20 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund aims to support the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in 3 biodiversity hot spots: the Cerrado in Brazil; countries in the Indo-Burma region, namely Cambodia, Laos and Thailand; and countries in the Tropical Andes region, namely Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Canada’s contribution will advance gender equality by strengthening leadership skills among women conservationists and enhance locally driven conservation in key biodiversity areas through financial and technical support.
Project: Biodiversity Ecosystem Restoration for Community Resilience in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh Partner: UN Development Programme Funding: $12.5 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026
This project aims to strengthen biodiversity conservation and resilient ecosystems in climate-vulnerable and marginalized communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region of Bangladesh. The project will work with these communities to develop and implement community-based biodiversity conservation plans. It will also increase women’s role in decision making and in implementing inclusive biodiversity ecosystem restoration plans with local government agencies, as well as improve the restoration of biodiversity ecosystems by vulnerable households and enhance resilient alternative livelihoods of ecosystem-dependent communities to improve market access and biodiversity conservation.
Project: Supporting the Protection of Marine Biodiversity Within the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean Through Dark Vessel Detection Technologies Partner: Fisheries and Oceans Canada Funding: $5 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026
This project shares Canadian technical expertise to assist Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Peru in protecting their unique marine biodiversity and supporting coastal communities, specifically women, Indigenous people and Afro-descendants. The project will provide access to innovative Canadian satellite surveillance technology by MDA Space Ltd. to support monitoring and enforcement efforts to reduce the threats posed by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities.
Project: Strengthening Marine Law Enforcement in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean Partner: WildAid Funding: $5 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 to 2026 to 2027
This project will help improve the protection and sustainable use of marine ecosystems in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru. This will be achieved by strengthening the capacity of national marine authorities and government-endorsed community organizations to reduce the threats posed by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The project will increase the effectiveness of maritime law enforcement by advocating for compliance through education, outreach and the creation of community-wide benefits.
Project: Enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ Resilience to Climate Change in Colombia Partner: World Food Programme Funding: $9.5 million for fiscal years 2023 to 2024 to 2027 to 2028
This project will help increase the resilience of Indigenous communities in the Amazon. The rich and diverse ecosystems in the southern Colombian Amazon rainforest are highly sensitive to climate change, facing rapid alterations in temperature and water availability. This degradation directly affects the food security and nutrition of forest-dependent communities, particularly Indigenous people and women. The project will focus on climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture and environmental management by combining ancestral practices with modern technology. It will promote sustainable agri-food value chains to improve food security and enhance the role of women in climate governance. Project activities will be carried out in Putumayo, Caquetá and Amazonas.
Project: Podong Indigenous Peoples Initiative Partner: International Union for the Conservation of Nature Funding: $7 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026
This initiative is the result of a collaboration between the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Indigenous leaders and the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity. Canada’s contribution will help Indigenous people build their capacity to implement gender-responsive biodiversity conservation actions, build leadership skills to engage in global environmental forums and negotiations, and address the barriers Indigenous peoples face in accessing funding for their self-determined climate and biodiversity priorities and actions.
This initiative will take place in Guatemala, Nepal, Panama and Tanzania. It advances the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which emphasizes Indigenous peoples’ right to conservation and protection of the environment and the productive capacity of their land.
Project: Accelerating Systemic Change for Gender Equality and Biodiversity Conservation Through the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans Accelerator Partnership Partner: UN Environment Programme Funding: $3 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026
The National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) Accelerator Partnership is a global initiative launched in Montréal at COP15. It provides knowledge, technical and financial support to developing countries for the preparation and implementation of their national biodiversity strategies and action plans. NBSAPs are essential road maps that guide decision making and on-the-ground action to conserve and use biodiversity in a sustainable manner.
Canada’s support will help Antigua and Barbuda, Comoros, Costa Rica, Eswatini, Tajikistan, Thailand and Togo develop and update their NBSAPs and ensure that they are gender-responsive and inclusive.
Good morning. Emily Wilkins, thanks for that kind introduction, and for leading this important organization. Let me recognize the Press Club’s American Legion Post and its commander, Tom Young, and all the Veterans Service Organizations represented here. Veterans Service Organizations are critical to helping us serve Vets, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
I want to thank all the journalists who served our country in uniform. Journalists like Thomas Gibbons-Neff, a Marine combat Vet and the son of a combat Vet, who writes powerfully now about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. I’ve been particularly struck by his writing on the end of America’s deployments to and withdrawal from Afghanistan.
While I want to be careful here as a non-Veteran myself, it struck me that his writing brought to life the painful experiences that thousands of his fellow Afghanistan Vets wrestle with to this day. Navy Veteran Zack Baddorf, founder of the group Military Veterans in Journalism, is helping ensure more Vets go into journalism, a vocation that is so important to our democracy that Vets have sacrificed everything to protect it.
Zach’s getting more Vets into newsrooms around the country—improving coverage of Veterans issues and increasing trust in the media. To Thomas and Zack, to all Veteran journalists, and to all journalists—thank you.
Veterans Day is around the corner, so now’s a good time to begin preparing our hearts and minds for that celebration—remembering, recognizing, and thanking all those men and women who have fought our nation’s wars and defended us during periods of restless peace. But our profound gratitude to Veterans goes beyond Veterans Day, because Vets continue serving this country long after they take off their uniforms.
They’ve dedicated themselves to building an America that is stronger, freer, fairer for each new generation, that more perfect Union we all seek. Anchored by their commitment to service over self, they continue serving this country, always looking out for one another, with their enduring sense of duty, valor, and love of country. Veterans set the highest example of what it means to be an American citizen. So, at VA, we strive to serve Vets every bit as well as they served—and continue to serve—all of us. Veterans Day is a time to renew that commitment, renew what President Biden calls our country’s one truly sacred obligation—to prepare those we send into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families when they come home.
Now, when I first spoke to the Press Club four years ago, the country was in a historic public health emergency, and VA’s employees were risking their lives to save the lives of Veterans. Despite those challenges, I told you that VA public servants were breaking all-time records, providing more care and more benefits to more Vets than ever before. And each year, I’ve come back here with a similar report. This year is no different. By nearly every metric, VA’s smashing records we set last year. That’s even more care, more benefits, to more Vets. And it’s not just more care. It’s better, world-class care, and it’s better health outcomes for Veterans than in the private sector. It’s not just more benefits, it’s faster, more accessible benefits we’re delivering by meeting Vets where they are rather than expecting them to come to us. And it’s not just more Vets, its more Vets trusting VA at rates higher than ever before. President Biden, a military family member and the surviving father of combat Veteran Major Beau Biden, has been unrelenting—and forcefully demanding—in his advocacy for Veterans and their families. He has spent his entire career fighting like hell for Vets, just as he charged me and my VA teammates to do four years ago. Under President Biden’s leadership, VA has been made into something different—something new.
Nowhere has that been more evident than with President Biden’s toxic exposure law—the PACT Act. Because of that law, more than 5.8 million Vets have been screened for toxic exposures. More than 740,000 have enrolled in VA care. And more than 1.1 million Veterans and 11,000 survivors are receiving benefits. The toxic exposure legislation called for a phased-in approach, getting Vets access to care and benefits as late, in some cases, as 2032. But President Biden made it clear that timeline wasn’t fast enough for one simple reason—for too long, too many Vets were exposed to harmful substances and waited decades for help. So, he directed us to accelerate implementation so all eligible Vets and their survivors got the care and benefits they deserve—as quickly as possible.
And that has been life-changing for so many families.
We can measure President Biden’s record-breaking work on behalf of Veterans—on ending Veteran homelessness, on removing barriers to mental health care, on getting Vets in crisis the support they need when they need it, and more. In fact, you probably saw the press release we put out this morning detailing all of VA’s record-breaking accomplishments over the course of the past year. But we can never put a value on the countless miracles that have improved and made Veterans lives better. Numbers and statistics can’t adequately describe the impact. Dollars and data can’t ever really begin to capture and communicate the values, the personalities, the humanity of the Veterans we have the honor of serving. So, as I prepared for today’s speech, I thought, maybe those are the very things we need to talk about. Let me tell you three stories that demonstrate the impact and importance of the work we do, together.
I’ll start with Angela Bell. I met Angela in Hampton, Virginia last month. Angela is one of the most generous and courageous people I’ve ever met. She lost her son, Sean, and has turned her grief into action. Let me tell you a little bit about Sean. Sean knew he wanted to join the military since he was a kid. He was so determined to enlist after graduating high school that at 17 years old he got his dad to sign the parental consent paperwork. And Sean served all over America—Georgia, North Carolina, California—served all over the world, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq. He married and had a son, Giovanni.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree. He earned a Master’s. He earned a second Master’s and was working on his Ph.D.—he liked to tease his mom, telling her she’d have to start calling him Dr. Bell. Sean was the kind of guy who’d invite other Soldiers over to Angela’s house for Thanksgiving because they had nowhere else to go. He’d ask his mom to send him extra care packages while he was on deployment, not for himself, but to share with his brothers- and sisters-in-arms who didn’t get anything from back home. He’s an example of the selfless Vet I was talking about a few minutes ago.
Well, after Sean came back from his second deployment to Central Command, Angela started noticing some changes. Every time firecrackers went off, he’d jump. Being in traffic was overwhelming, anxious about other vehicles around him. He was enduring some personal problems, family health issues and more. When Angela tried to get Sean help, he refused, worried about losing his clearance. Sean had served in the Army for 20 years. And just a few weeks before his retirement in 2021, he died by suicide.
Now, I’ve spoken at many events focused on VA’s and our partners’ work to end Veteran suicide. I’ve explained that ending Veteran suicide is our number one clinical priority at VA. I’ve talked about resourcing and about people and organizations singularly devoted to end Veteran suicide. I’ve talked about data and processes and what we’re doing to try to make a real, substantial difference—promising initiatives. And I’ve shared story after story about Veterans not just surviving, but getting the mental health care they need and thriving. Yet, none of that will bring Sean back or heal his family’s heartbreak. None of that gets to the enormous tragedy of Veteran suicide or gets to the powerful, painful emotions.
So, here’s why I’m telling Sean’s story, Angela’s story. Angela’s doing everything she can do so other families don’t suffer the same devastation when she lost Sean, when this country lost Sean. “I try to be the face of [those] who [were] left behind,” Angela says. “I’m so passionate about telling his story because if it helps one person, whether I know it or not, then I’m doing what I’m supposed to do.” She said, “People tell me I’m so strong. I’m not. I’m a mom, advocating and fighting for my kid.” Angela’s the President of the Hampton Roads Chapter of American Gold Star Mothers, and she often speaks on our work to end Veteran suicide. Thanksgiving was Sean and Angela’s favorite holiday. And in his memory, Angela hosts an annual Thanksgiving meal and invites servicemembers, Veterans, and their families to join her. The gathering quickly outgrew her dinner table, and then got too big for her home. This year, Angela’s renting a dining hall to host dozens of families from the military community to share a warm Thanksgiving meal together. The community she’s built has helped Angela heal. And she heals by helping others, so they’re not alone, and so they know there is always, always hope. Those are the kind of people we have the incredible privilege and honor to serve at VA.
But we have so much work to do to keep our promise to Vets. That leads me to my next story. It was almost exactly 23 years ago—October 5th, 2001—when the first US forces arrived at the Karshi-Khanabad air base in Uzbekistan, a former Soviet base known as “K2.” K2 Veterans were among the first to deploy after the September 11th terrorist attacks, bravely conducting and supporting combat missions against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. They went to a place at K2 that Veterans often describe as a “toxic soup” of exposures, a place unlike other operating bases occupied by American forces. A place that jeopardized their immediate and long-term health. Colonel Gordon Peters vividly describes what he says was a “chemical odor so intense that it seemed as if someone could light a match and the entire area would ignite.” Some K2 Vets returned home and developed disabling illnesses and conditions. Their service is heroic.
Mindful of the passage of time since their heroic service, we’ve moved aggressively to care for K2 Vets since the PACT Act was passed in 2022.
First, we eliminated the PACT Act phase-in period for presumptive benefits—making all K2 Vets immediately eligible for more than 300 presumptive conditions.
Second, earlier this year, we made all K2 Veterans eligible for VA health care, whether or not they’ve filed a benefits claim with VA.
Third, after consulting with K2 Vets this summer, we’ve begun rulemaking to make chronic multi-symptom illness—also known as Gulf War Illness—a presumptive condition for K2 Veterans, fixing a gap in the PACT Act.
Fourth, for every K2 claim, we’ve made sure the unique toxic exposures at K2—that toxic soup—is taken into account, and each new K2 claim gets reviewed a second time before VA reaches a final decision.
And fifth, we’ve reached out to every known living K2 Veteran to encourage them to come to us for the care and benefits they deserve.
All of that work has been driven by Veteran and survivor advocates, reporters like you, and a tireless VA team working on toxic exposures, some of the best toxic exposure researchers, scientists, and epidemiologists in the world. Because of that hard work,
13,000 of the 16,000 K2 Vets are enrolled in VA healthcare, nearly 12,000 are service-connected for at least one condition, receiving an average of $30,000 a year in earned benefits. All told, K2 Vets now have higher claim and approval rates than any other cohort of Veterans.
But we have more work to do to get this right. Some K2 Vets still understandably feel overlooked, because they’ve waited for 23 long years to see their uniquely dangerous service recognized. We still have to do better and be better, for those K2 Vets. That’s why, today, I’m proud to announce that VA will begin rulemaking to add bladder, ureter, and other genitourinary—or GU cancers—as new presumptive conditions for K2 Vets and all eligible toxic-exposed Vets. And we aren’t stopping there.
Next week, we will complete the scientific review of multiple myeloma and leukemias. The preliminary findings are promising and suggest that VA will be able to make those conditions presumptive for K2 Veterans and all eligible Veterans. And once the final results are in, VA will look to extend that presumption to all biologically linked blood cancers. This may include polycethemia vera—or P. Vera—a condition identified by K2 Vets. We will do so based on biological science and on the results of a PACT Act presumptive process, without requiring Vets to wait for VA to complete additional studies. And moving forward, I am committed to establishing service connection for any rare condition found in K2 Vets which has a plausible biological link to the toxic soup we know and acknowledge was present at K2.
Because we are a new VA. One that works with Veterans for Veterans. And one that delivers outcomes for Veterans. We will no longer take decades to consider new presumptive conditions, but will instead use the tools provided by the PACT Act as quickly as possible to proactively establish service connections whenever the evidence supports it. We put that promise into action in 2021 when the President directed us to work on a Central Command burn pit presumption, nearly two years before passage of the PACT Act. We put it into action in 2022 when we established service connection for asthma, sinusitis, rhinitis, and rare respiratory cancers—again today with GU cancers and soon for multiple myeloma and blood cancers. We’ll continue proving that we’re a new VA by using the expedited PACT Act process to look further into that toxic soup at K2. The President considers this unfinished business—and expects VA to establish a presumption of service connection for every condition associated with deployment to K2 – and we’re committed to doing so.
We have to keep listening to K2 Vets and all Vets. We have to keep fighting like hell for them. So, thank you to the Vets, advocates, and journalists who have been instrumental in highlighting the heroes who served at K2. You make us better by holding us accountable. We are proud of our accomplishments, these outcomes for Veterans. But we are candid when we come up short—candid with ourselves, with you, with Vets, with Congress, and with the American people. America’s Vets deserve our very best, and we’ll never settle for anything less. Hold us to it.
Third and finally—let me talk about VA’s people—your public servants—who are keeping our country’s sacred obligation to Vets. They are the best, most compassionate, highest-performing, and most dedicated workforce in the federal government—in the entire country—folks who want to make real differences in the lives of Veterans. I’m proud and I’m privileged to be on their team.
I’m reminded of that every single day, but it was driven home most profoundly when I was surveying Hurricane Helene’s destruction in Asheville, North Carolina. For over a month now, the Asheville VA, the VISN 6 leadership team, and their incident command team have been working around the clock, tirelessly, to support Vets and staff impacted by the storm. Asheville VA’s food service employees and the Veterans Canteen Service disaster response team loaded up two tons of food and served 17,000 meals in the first week of recovery efforts, a source of great comfort in the aftermath of the crisis.
Their Volunteer Services have collected thousands of donations from fellow VA employees. And our chaplains have been holding candlelight vigils, a space for Veterans and VA staff to be together … supporting and comforting one another during this tragedy.
In the hardest hit areas across Western North Carolina, we identified over 2,600 at-risk Vets, Vets undergoing chemotherapy, with spinal cord injuries, requiring oxygen, and other support. We couldn’t call many of them because phones were out—cell phones and landlines—so right after the hurricane, VA teams went out to check on unaccounted Vets in-person. They achieved 100% accountability for all at-risk Vets in their care. Given the devastation in those communities, that is an amazing accomplishment. And they continue reaching out to Veterans in the area to make sure they have everything they need.
For VA nurses Melissa Mehaffey and Lisa Sellers, taking care of Vets in this crisis is their duty and it’s also about holding tight to hope. Lisa and Melissa have been a pair since starting at VA on the same day ten years ago. They’re Haywood County natives and came to work at VA because they have family members who are Vets. “Here,” Melissa says, “it’s all about the Veteran. The heart of our system is with our patients.”
“When we got a name, we knew—those are our people,” Melissa said. “We’re going to find them, figure out what they need, and help them. We’re going to make sure they are ok.” She says, “Going out there and taking care of our people … this was our tiny piece of hope.” One of the Vets they checked on had been without power, and no one could reach him by phone. He wrote us a letter. “No one but VA,” he said, “No one but VA would do something like that … in that moment there was a human connection that no other healthcare system would have even thought of.”
Army Veteran and VA employee Corey Anderson feels the same way. Corey was deployed to Kuwait and Iraq from 2005 to 2007, and the devastation he saw in Asheville reminded him of war zones. Corey went to check on one rural Veteran, drove until the road was gone, washed away. So what did Corey do? He parked his car in the middle of the road and hiked the rest of the way. He climbed up the mountainside with a pack full of supplies for the Veterans’ upcoming medical procedure. Corey says, “Doing this work means the world to me. I’m a Veteran. My dad, mom, sister, and so much of my family is made up of Veterans. It just means the world to me to do my part.” Veterans helping Veterans, there is nothing better. VA’s employees across the Southeast and Appalachia—people like Melissa, like Lisa and Corey—worked long hours through two devastating hurricanes, some working multiple shifts or staying overnight at the hospital. They risked their own lives to serve Veterans. Because whether we’re in times of calm or chaos, VA’s public servants always mobilize around one core mission—saving and improving Veterans’ lives. And right now there are Veterans at home, with their families—happy, safe, and healthy—because of them. I am incredibly grateful to each and every one of them.
Now, our mission at VA is far from over. There are huge challenges ahead. And as we look to the future, we’re going to continue to do better for Vets. We’re going to continue to be better for Vets. This future at VA isn’t because of me. In fact, I had asked that this new VA be represented here today at the Press Club by the best face of this new VA: our Deputy Secretary, a combat Veteran, the daughter and granddaughter of combat Veterans, someone who gets her care at VA, and someone who is part of the fastest growing cadre of Veterans at VA: women. The VA is new and more effective because of the Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors we are so blessed to serve—and because of Veterans like Tanya Bradsher who serve their fellow Veterans.
This future is because of the 450,000 VA employees in your communities and neighborhoods across the country who keep Vets at the heart of their care. And it’s because of partners like you, too.
I’ll close with a final word to the Vets watching today. Your honorable service in uniform sets the example for the rest of the country. You’re the keepers of our national ethos—that deep and abiding sense of purpose you learned in serving, your camaraderie and your care for each other, your sense of teamwork that made you stronger, together—in combat and, now, in your communities. That’s exactly what we need, what this country needs. Your examples are something that all of us can learn from. So, again, to all Veterans—those of you here today and those watching, thank you for everything. And to the Press Club, my thanks for all that you do holding us accountable to Vets, and telling their stories in the powerful ways that you do. God bless you all. And God bless our nation’s servicemembers, our Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. With that, Emily, let’s go to questions.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: Voters lacked a genuine choice in Uzbekistan’s technically well-prepared parliamentary elections
TASHKENT, 28 October 2024 – Uzbekistan’s 27 October parliamentary elections took place amid ongoing reforms, including amendments to the Constitution, but the political environment remained constrained, not providing voters with a genuine choice, international observers said in a preliminary statement released today. Despite the ongoing reforms, fundamental freedoms remain disproportionally limited both by legislation and in practice, the statement says.
“These elections were held under a new mixed electoral system, reflecting significant constitutional amendments and a revised electoral code as part of Uzbekistan’s ongoing reform efforts,” said Mr. Azay Guliyev, Special Co-ordinator and leader of the OSCE short-term observers. “While these reforms represent progress in enhancing human rights provisions, significant challenges remain in the realization of fundamental freedoms, particularly the rights to association, peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.”
While the election-related laws have gradually evolved and the elections were technically well-prepared, significant challenges in meeting international standards persist in such areas as political party registration, the right to stand, campaign finance transparency, citizen observation, and the publication of polling station results.
All five registered political parties were able to campaign freely and with legally enforced equal conditions, but their campaigns were low-key and devoid of real challenges to the policies of the ruling party or to each other. Media coverage was limited by restrictions on free expression, resulting in minimal access for voters to diverse viewpoints. Positively, women were well represented among candidates and in election administration.
“In a landscape where the five registered parties share a common support for government policies, voters were not presented with genuine alternatives. This further highlights a need to foster a more dynamic and competitive political environment to truly represent citizens’ voices,” said Sargis Khandanyan, Head of the OSCE PA delegation. “At the same time, the increased gender quota for parliamentary candidates marks a positive development. We are hopeful that this will further boost women’s participation in public and political life in line with OSCE commitments.”
The changes to election-related laws include a revised electoral system, new party list registration rules, modified rules on election management bodies, and an increased gender quota, but the relatively short timeframe for implementing these changes raised questions about compliance with international good practices.
The country’s media-related laws contain broad and insufficiently defined provisions, including on religious extremism, disturbances of public order and false information and, as such, do not provide legal clarity and unduly restrict the right to freedom of expression. Defamation and insult remain criminalized, while imprisonment is still foreseen for public slander and insulting the president. In addition, undue external interference on media editorial freedom and a limited advertising market stifle open discussion and independent journalism, and result in reported widespread self-censorship. State-owned broadcast and print media provided free airtime and space for contestants in line with the law. Private television channels organized election debates, but provided only limited news coverage and virtually no analysis of the campaign.
Election preparations at all levels were administered efficiently, and the Central Election Commission held regular live-streamed sessions and swiftly published its decisions, contributing to transparency. Despite previous ODIHR recommendations, the independence of lower-level election commissions remained negatively affected by the prominent role of Mahallas, which are local self-governing bodies closely aligned with state and local administration in various aspects of the electoral process.
Election day was calm and orderly, but marred by numerous cases of identified violations and malfeasance, as well as procedural and technical problems. Important safeguards were repeatedly disregarded during voting, counting and tabulation, challenging the integrity of the process and undermining transparency.
“Uzbekistan’s authorities have partially addressed some prior ODIHR recommendations through recent legislative changes,” said Douglas Wake, Head of the Election Observation Mission from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. “Nevertheless, given the problems that our observers identified in yesterday’s voting, counting and tabulation, much more must be done to enhance transparency and confidence in the officially announced turnout and results. ODIHR looks forward to further co-operation with Uzbekistan’s authorities, including on the recommendations that will come in our final report.”
A total of 875 candidates were registered from the five registered political parties. The laws retain burdensome requirements for party registration, as well as broad legal grounds for denying registration and the suspension of party activities. The legal framework also does not allow for independent candidates, thus limiting pluralism and political competition.
For these elections, the gender quota for women was increased from 30 to 40 per cent. Women hold 47 of the 150 seats in the outgoing Legislative Chamber and comprised 45 per cent of candidates. Furthermore, the Speaker of the Senate, one of seven Deputy Speakers of the Legislative Chamber, and one of four Deputy Prime Ministers are women. Despite ongoing efforts to increase women’s participation in public and political life, however, women remain underrepresented in decision-making positions. Only two out of 27 ministers and three out of 12 members of the Supreme Judicial Council are women. All regional governors (Hokims) are men.
The regulations for campaign finance lack clarity and do not facilitate transparency, not providing for effective oversight and public scrutiny. Funding for campaign purposes is allocated exclusively from the state budget, and only to registered political parties with an approved list of candidates.
International organizations, political parties, Mahallas and accredited media are entitled to observe elections. The CEC registered 851 international observers. Despite previous ODIHR recommendations, the legislation does not contain provisions for citizen election observers.
For further information, contact:
Thomas Rymer, press adviser, ODIHR election observation mission, thomas.rymer@odihr-uzbekistan.org
Anzhelika Ivanishcheva, media officer, OSCE PA, anzhelika.ivanishcheva@oscepa.dk
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Presentation of the medal to Evgeny Rybnov (in the center). On the right – Askar Zhusupbekov
The results of the national (all-Russian) scientific and technical conference with international participation “Modern methods of design, underground construction and reconstruction of foundations and bases” were summed up at SPbGASU. Let us recall that it brought together specialists from 23 cities and 13 countries. More than 110 reports were heard.
“We tried to consider all aspects of geotechnics, raise problematic issues and discuss their possible solutions, and outline development vectors. For industry representatives, the conference became an open platform for exchanging experience with colleagues and interacting with the scientific community, and for students, it was a series of effective practical lectures. Of course, both in domestic and foreign geotechnics, there are still a huge number of unresolved issues, but Russian geotechnics confirms its high level and is ready to share experience and developments, as well as study international experience. The conference made it possible to do this,” said Rashid Mangushev, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences, Head of the Scientific School, Director of the Scientific and Production-Consulting Center for Geotechnology at St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering.
One of the participants added that he had not been to a conference for a long time that covered the maximum number of geotechnical areas so comprehensively and deeply. The conference program included a tight schedule: nine sessions on twelve main geotechnical areas, technical excursions around St. Petersburg and Kronstadt, a visit to an exhibition dedicated to the anniversary of the geotechnical department, and time for business communication.
The scale and effectiveness of the conference are impressive and inspire new research, emphasized Anatoly Osokin, Candidate of Technical Sciences and Head of the Department of Geotechnics at SPbGASU.
“We identified the problems and demonstrated our readiness and ability to solve them. And, most importantly, we examined geotechnics in detail. The conference participants were replenished with a large number of young specialists and scientists. This indicates that geotechnics will develop as a science and a special branch of construction. We understand that today the development of megacities is often possible only through underground construction, so geotechnics remains a sought-after science in the modern world,” Anatoly Ivanovich summed up.
For his contribution to the development of geotechnics, the rector of the university, Doctor of Economics, PhD in Engineering, Professor Evgeniy Rybnov was awarded the highest award of the Kazakhstan Geotechnical Association – the International Geotechnical Medal named after Academician Sh. M. Aitaliev; the scientific director of the geotechnical school of SPbGASU, Corresponding Member of RAASN, Doctor of Engineering Rashid Mangushev was awarded the medal of the Kazakhstan Geotechnical Association named after Academician T. Zh. The awards were presented by the president of the Kazakhstan Geotechnical Association, Doctor of Engineering, Professor, graduate of SPbGASU (LISI) Askar Zhusupbekov.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
CALGARY, Alberta, Oct. 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Condor Energies Inc. (“Condor” or the “Company”) (TSX: CDR), a Canadian based energy transition company, is pleased to provide an operational update for its eight gas field production enhancement project in Uzbekistan.
Two recently worked-over wells have returned to service and are providing 441 boepd of incremental production, after a combined 20 meters of previously unperforated reservoir pay was accessed. Prior to the workovers, the first well wasn’t producing and is now flowing 410 boepd based on a 24 hour production test. Although the second well is still recovering workover fluids, its incremental flow rate is already 31 boepd or a 65% increase, also based on a 24 hour test. As disclosed earlier this month, three prior workovers added a cumulative 330 boepd of incremental production.
A second rig that was planned for delivery in early November has already begun workover activities on a well that is targeting up to 25 meters of previously unperforated reservoir. With over 100 wells in the eight fields, there is a large inventory of both producing and shut-in wells available for evaluation, recompletion and optimization opportunities to profitably grow production.
The extensive geological evaluations performed, coupled with recent workover results, suggest that material untapped hydrocarbon potential exists within the carbonate formations of the Company’s 279 km2 license area. These carbonate platforms contain thick reservoir sections interbedded with laterally extensive evaporite layers, creating ideal conditions for hydrocarbon trapping. The reservoirs are analogous to carbonate formations in Canada’s Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (“WCSB”), such as the Charlie Lake and Midale, which continue to be successfully monetized. By leveraging this geological similarity, the Company is maturing the potential of horizontal and multi-lateral drilling, a proven method in Canada to enhance deliverability and maximize recovery from these reservoirs.
Don Streu, President and CEO of Condor, commented: “We continue to be very pleased with the early results of our workover program and are excited to have a second service rig operating. The multiple successes of world-class developments in the WCSB showcases how carbonate reservoirs can deliver impressive production rates and recoveries. The geological characteristics in Uzbekistan – thick reservoirs interbedded with evaporites – are strikingly similar to those found in Western Canada, where decades of production have been economically sustained. By employing advanced horizontal and stacked drilling techniques, we could achieve even higher deliverability and maximize recovery from our Jurassic carbonate reservoirs, mirroring the positive Canadian analogue outcomes.”
ABOUT CONDOR ENERGIES INC
Condor Energies Inc is a TSX-listed energy transition company that is uniquely positioned on the doorstep of European and Asian markets with three distinct first-mover initiatives: increasing natural gas and condensate production from its existing fields in Uzbekistan; an ongoing project to construct and operate Central Asia’s first LNG facility in Kazakhstan; and a separate initiative to develop and produce lithium brine in Kazakhstan. Condor has already built a strong foundation for reserves, production and cashflow growth while also striving to minimize its environmental footprint.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this news release constitute forward-looking statements under applicable securities legislation. Such statements are generally identifiable by the terminology used, such as “anticipate”, “appear”, “believe”, “intend”, “expect”, “plan”, “estimate”, “budget”, “outlook”, “scheduled”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would”, “in the process of” or other similar wording. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, information concerning: the timing and ability to perforate up to 25 meters of previously unperforated reservoir; the timing and ability for material untapped hydrocarbon potential to exist within the carbonate formations of the Company’s license area; the timing and ability for carbonate platforms to contain thick reservoir sections interbedded with laterally extensive evaporite layers to create ideal conditions for hydrocarbon trapping; the timing and ability for the Company’s reservoirs to be analogous to carbonate formations in Canada’s Western Canada Sedimentary Basin; the timing and ability to mature the potential of horizontal and multi-lateral drilling to maximize recovery; the timing and ability to employ advanced horizontal and stacked drilling techniques; the timing and ability to drill new wells and the ability of the drilled wells to become producing wells; projections and timing with respect to production; the timing and ability to obtain future funding on favorable terms, if at all; the timing and ability to increase production by executing the planned drilling and workover programs; and the timing and ability to obtain various approvals and conduct the Company’s planned development activities.
ABBREVIATIONS
The following is a summary of abbreviations used in this news release:
boe
Barrels of oil equivalent*
boepd
Barrels of oil equivalent per day
km2
Square kilometers
Mscf
Thousand standard cubic feet of gas
* Barrels of oil equivalent (“boe”) are derived by converting gas to oil in the ratio of six thousand standard cubic feet (“Mscf”) of gas to one barrel of oil based on an energy conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Given the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil as compared to natural gas is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6 Mscf to 1 barrel, utilizing a conversion ratio at 6 Mscf to 1 barrel may be misleading as an indication of value, particularly if used in isolation.
The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
For further information, please contact Don Streu, President and CEO or Sandy Quilty, Vice President of Finance and CFO at 403-201-9694.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: National Forum explores future of multilingual education in Kyrgyzstan
Participants of the National Forum on Multilingual Education held on 25 October in the National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic. (OSCE) Photo details
Policymakers, educators and international experts discussed the future of multilingual education in Kyrgyzstan at the National Forum on Multilingual Education in Bishkek on 25 October 2024. The event was organized by Kyrgyzstan’s Education Ministry of Education with support from the office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities.
Participants explored potential policy avenues to improve and expand multilingual education in Kyrgyzstan. Multilingual education is an excellent tool that can help promote integration in diverse societies while supporting educational excellence. When education is based first in a child’s mother tongue, and additional languages are gradually introduced, children from different linguistic backgrounds have the opportunity to develop academic proficiency in their mother tongue, which is a prerequisite for their overall educational success.
“Multilingual education is one of the most effective ways to foster integration in our diverse societies. It is not just an educational approach that generates excellent results in the classroom; it is also a powerful tool to increase social cohesion, cultural understanding and economic opportunity.” said Ambassador Marek Szczygiel, Director and Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities during his online address.
Participants also had the opportunity to discuss how international best practices employed in other countries of Asia, particularly in Singapore and Mongolia, could be adapted for use in Kyrgyzstan. The day included the presentation of a draft roadmap for multilingual education from 2025 to 2030, aimed at ensuring quality and inclusive education across the country.
The National Forum was the final segment in a series of activities in October, dubbed the “Month of Multilingual Education”. This included an event on learning the Kyrgyz language through multilingual education and a study tour for members of parliament and government officials, supported by the office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities. During the study tour, participants visited schools and kindergartens providing multilingual education in the Osh and Chuy regions of Kyrgyzstan. Participants were then able to share their first-hand experiences at the Forum, demonstrating how multilingual education supports social cohesion by providing children from different linguistic backgrounds the opportunity to learn in an inclusive environment.
“Seeing children interact and learn in multiple languages is truly inspiring. It shows us that multilingual education is not just an abstract policy but a real opportunity to empower the next generation to embrace diversity and thrive together.” said Aigul Omorova, Lecturer at the Republican Institute for Advanced Training and Retraining of Teaching Staff
As part of its engagement on multilingual education across the OSCE area, and in Central Asia in particular, the office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities is committed to supporting Kyrgyzstan in developing an education system that provides academic excellence and strengthens social cohesion by embracing the country’s linguistic diversity.
Headline: DHS Conducts Removal Flight to the Republic of India
DHS continues to enforce U.S. immigration laws and deliver tough consequences for those who enter unlawfully. This includes swiftly returning those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, while encouraging the use of lawful pathways. Since June 2024, when the Securing the Border Presidential Proclamation and accompanying Interim Final Rule went into effect, encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border have decreased by 55%. In Fiscal Year 2024, DHS removed or returned over 160,000 individuals and operated more than 495 international repatriation flights to more than 145 countries—including India.
“Indian nationals without a legal basis to remain in the United States are subject to swift removal, and intending migrants should not fall for the lies of smugglers who proclaim otherwise,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Kristie A. Canegallo. “The Department of Homeland Security will continue to enforce our nation’s laws.”
DHS regularly engages with foreign governments throughout the hemisphere and around the world to accept repatriations of their nationals without a legal basis to remain in the United States. This is one tool among many DHS uses to reduce irregular migration, promote the use of safe, lawful, and orderly pathways, and hold transnational criminal networks accountable for smuggling and exploitation of vulnerable people. Over the last year, DHS has removed individuals to a range of countries around the world, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt, Mauritania, Senegal, Uzbekistan, the PRC, and India. As a result of these efforts, DHS removed or returned more individuals in FY2024 than any year since FY2010, and DHS continues to expand removal flights operations.
WASHINGTON – On October 22, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), conducted a large-frame charter removal flight to the Republic of India of Indian nationals who did not establish legal basis to remain in the United States. This week’s flight demonstrates the Department’s continued commitment to pursuing sustained cooperation with the Indian government and other international partners to reduce and deter irregular migration and jointly work to counter human smuggling.
DHS continues to enforce U.S. immigration laws and deliver tough consequences for those who enter unlawfully. This includes swiftly returning those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, while encouraging the use of lawful pathways. Since June 2024, when the Securing the Border Presidential Proclamation and accompanying Interim Final Rule went into effect, encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border have decreased by 55%. In Fiscal Year 2024, DHS removed or returned over 160,000 individuals and operated more than 495 international repatriation flights to more than 145 countries—including India.
“Indian nationals without a legal basis to remain in the United States are subject to swift removal, and intending migrants should not fall for the lies of smugglers who proclaim otherwise,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Kristie A. Canegallo. “The Department of Homeland Security will continue to enforce our nation’s laws.”
DHS regularly engages with foreign governments throughout the hemisphere and around the world to accept repatriations of their nationals without a legal basis to remain in the United States. This is one tool among many DHS uses to reduce irregular migration, promote the use of safe, lawful, and orderly pathways, and hold transnational criminal networks accountable for smuggling and exploitation of vulnerable people. Over the last year, DHS has removed individuals to a range of countries around the world, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt, Mauritania, Senegal, Uzbekistan, the PRC, and India. As a result of these efforts, DHS removed or returned more individuals in FY2024 than any year since FY2010, and DHS continues to expand removal flights operations.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
From October 14 to 19, representatives of the Polytechnic University Competence Assessment and Development Center visited the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University.
The days of the Polytechnic University Competence Center at KRSU became one of the first major projects in a series of planned events aimed at improving the quality of training of engineering personnel at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, said Lyudmila Pankova, Vice-Rector for Educational Activities at SPbPU.
The program of events opened with an information session, at which the ambassadors of the Polytechnic University Competence Center told KRSU students about the opportunities of the Competence Centers project of the presidential platform Russia — the Country of Opportunities for career growth, as well as how the project will help to reveal their potential, and, of course, about the role of ambassadors.
The Deputy Director General of the ANO “Russia – Country of Opportunities” Dmitry Guzhelya addressed the students with a welcoming speech. He wished the guys not to stop there and to more actively join the projects of the presidential platform.
Fascinating surveys on supra-professional competencies made the children think about their strengths and opportunities for self-development. A humorous quiz, in which more than 350 people took part, became a bright conclusion to the information session.
The days of the Polytechnic Competence Center at KRSU became an important stage in the development of the first and so far the only competence center outside the Russian Federation. We see and feel the positive and interested attitude of Russia, whose ambassadors were representatives of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, — shared the head of the KRSU Competence Center Almaz Asankulov.
The week in Bishkek was eventful and productive. Both sides organized many joint events to bring together university youth and develop soft skills – from a trip to the snowy mountains of the Ala-Archa National Park to a two-day Soft Skills board game tournament. There, KRSU students analyzed information and learned to make decisions, mastered innovation, emotional intelligence, following rules and focus on results.
Our team prepared for such an important trip for a long time and carefully. We are very happy that KRSU students responded enthusiastically and actively participated in all the events of our program, the most memorable of which was, perhaps, the final of the Soft Skills tournament. The teams developed and defended very interesting and, at times, incredible ideas for startup projects, – said Elena Zima, Director of the SPbPU Competency Assessment and Development Center.
The trip gave the ambassadors of the Polytechnic University Competence Center a lot of new and interesting things.
We have become even more united, have significantly developed stress resistance and planning skills, have broadened our horizons, and have gained new knowledge about the culture and traditions of Kyrgyzstan. Most importantly, we have found new friends in lively and sincere communication, – shared Victoria Anikieva, a student of SPbPU and the head of the community of ambassadors of the Polytechnic University Competence Center.
During the visit, the partners launched a professional development program called “Modern Approaches to Managing the Educational Process.” Elena Zima gave two lectures to KRSU teachers on the specifics of Russian Federation legislation in the field of higher education.
On behalf of the KRSU management, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Polytechnic staff for fruitful cooperation and support in the development of our university as one of the best universities in Kyrgyzstan, said Elena Devyatova, Vice-Rector for Educational Activities at KRSU.
A return visit of the KRSU Competence Center ambassadors to the Polytechnic University is ahead.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Governments, even democratic ones, are willing to aid autocracies in silencing exiled dissidents if the host nation thinks it’s in its economic interest.
That is what we found when looking into cases of transnational repression – the act of governments reaching across their national border to repress diasporas and exiles – from 2014 to 2020.
Since 2014, international watchdog Freedom House recorded 1,034 cases of governments reaching across borders to illegally deport, abduct, intimidate or assassinate their citizens.
The most frequent offenders were autocratic countries such as China (213 cases), Turkey (111), Egypt (42), Tajikistan (38), Russia (32) and Uzbekistan (29).
These governments have extended their reach into over 100 foreign countries to silence critics abroad. While autocracies sometimes act alone or collaborate with nongovernment actors, the most common form of transnational repression involves the governments of countries to which targeted people have fled. This includes democracies working closely with autocratic regimes to arrest, detain and deport people who face the risk of persecution and repression in the home country.
Our analysis of Freedom House data found that cooperation in transnational repression is most common among trade partners and when foreign countries wish to maintain or improve their economic relationship with autocratic governments.
Meanwhile, autocratic countries were most successful in securing cooperation among foreign countries with a weak rule of law.
For example, Turkey has successfully secured cooperation from multiple countries with a weak rule of law, such as Lebanon, in its efforts to silence Turkish journalists and overseas citizens linked to the opposition Gülen movement. Meanwhile, China has used its economic leverage to compel foreign governments to cooperate, with Cambodia deporting 20 Uyghur asylum-seekers to China after signing 14 trade deals with the country. Similarly, Thailand forcibly returned numerous dissident journalists to China, its largest trade partner.
Our analysis looked specifically at countries hosting refugees and asylum-seekers, since having diaspora populations is necessary for transnational repression to occur. For example, we included Poland, which hosts many Russian refugees, but excluded Belize, which has none.
Using Freedom House’s database, we tracked 608 cases of direct government cooperation in transnational repression. We focused specifically on detentions, renditions without legal representation, and unlawful deportations, but we excluded cases such as assassinations where host countries weren’t directly involved.
Then, using statistical models, we analyzed IMF data on annual trade flows and World Bank assessments of a country’s rule of law.
We found strong quantitative evidence that international cooperation on transnational repression relies on a country’s economic ties to the origin country and the quality of the country’s rule of law.
Why it matters
Our findings suggest that many countries are willing to sacrifice the civil liberties of foreign dissidents for economic opportunities with authoritarian governments. Autocracies also appear to be strategically targeting vulnerable states with weak rule of law institutions, such as the police, courts or immigration authorities.
Foreign countries that are less concerned about the consequences of breaking the rule of law are easier to co-opt and coerce, especially when they’re more financially dependent on the autocratic partner.
This provides autocracies with both the opportunity to repress and the leverage to elicit cooperation in violation of the “non-refoulement” rule – which, under international law, protects migrants from being returned to a country where they are at risk of torture.
What still isn’t known
It is difficult to know the full scale of transnational repression. Data measuring transnational repression is able to capture only the “tip of the iceberg,” as Freedom House has put it.
Many instances likely go unobserved due to the secret nature of human rights violations and governmental attempts to cover up, censor and deny abuses. We also know less about what causes autocracies to carry out transnational repression through collaborations with nonstate actors – including political parties, educational and religious groups, businesses and criminal gangs – rather than governments.
More research is needed to establish what prompts autocracies to engage in different types of tactics, from nonphysical instances of transnational repression – harassment, intimidation and threats – to physical forms, such as detention, abduction and physical violence.
The decision to engage in one tactic over another may be driven by different strategic benefits and costs.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
On October 25, 2024, the State University of Management held a ceremonial opening of the student expeditionary corps.
The official ceremony took place in the lobby of the Information Technology Center. All those present were able to see unique footage of the expeditions conducted by the students of the State University of Management at a photo exhibition, and also watched a video about the first trip.
The opening ceremony was attended by the rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev, the acting vice-rector of the State University of Management Nikolay Mikhailov, the vice-rector of the Russian Technical University MIREA Igor Tarasov and the deputy general director of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives Evgeny Murakhveri. The event was moderated by the head of the expeditionary corps of our university Vladimir Linnik.
Vladimir Stroyev admitted that the path to opening the corps was long and difficult. The first step in this direction was the project “Beacons of Friendship. Towers of the Caucasus”, which is still being successfully implemented, but has a relatively narrow localization. The expeditionary corps will significantly expand the geography of trips and diversify the areas of activity with environmental, patriotic and charity trips. As an example, the rector cited search expeditions to Sebezh.
“These works not only contribute to personal development, but also help preserve historical knowledge, are useful for society, especially in today’s situation. On behalf of the university management, I promise the corps comprehensive support and from this moment I propose to consider it open,” said Vladimir Vitalievich.
Vice-Rector of MIREA Igor Tarasov said that the volunteer expedition movement at his university has been around for 10 years, but previously trips were organized only for its students. And six months ago, the “Arctic Team” was created – a unique in its scale and subject inter-university project based on RTU MIREA. In a relatively short period of its work, 77 expeditions have already been conducted for 1,000 people from 45 universities in Russia. Their participants have visited many regions of Russia, the North Pole and Antarctica, as well as Armenia, Hungary and Kazakhstan. Right now, the ship “Mikhail Somov” is carrying another student expedition along the Northern Sea Route. At the end of his speech, Igor Aleksandrovich thanked several students of the State University of Management by name for their active participation in the activities of the “Arctic Team”.
Acting Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Nikolay Mikhailov, as a candidate of geographical sciences, has spent more than 10 years of his life on expeditions. At the opening ceremony, he admitted that he loves the mountains most of all and noted that students make a great contribution to the work of scientists, and their participation in the search for the remains of soldiers of the Great Patriotic War is extremely important for the whole society. Nikolay Nikolaevich wished those who have already started going on expeditions to preserve their love for them for the rest of their lives. He admitted that soon the current students will become qualified specialists, managers, will start families and will have less and less time for travel, but at least occasionally it is always nice to go on trips.
At the level of vice-rectors, Igor Tarasov and Nikolai Mikhailov signed an agreement on cooperation between the student expeditionary corps of GUU and RTU MIREA.
Deputy Director General of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives Evgeny Murakhveri noted that any expedition is a combination of business with pleasure, it is teamwork, which also reveals forgotten history and lost elements of culture to society, which is fully consistent with modern state policy, the tasks set by Vladimir Putin, and the direction of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives. The guest said that in his youth he loved hiking, studied to be a geophysicist and spent an interesting scientific youth on expeditions. On hikes he made friends for life, became interested in rock music, acquired survival skills and worked with various tools, so he highly recommends enrolling in the student corps of the State University of Management – it will be interesting.
The head of the expedition corps Vladimir Linnik reported that before the opening, our students had managed to participate in 10 expeditions. The plans for 2025 include an archaeological expedition to the village of Khotylyovo in the Bryansk region to the sites of primitive people of the Paleolithic era, as well as to the Valdai Reserve to clean up the eco-trail. If the topic of future expeditions corresponds to the student’s field of study, then participation can be counted as practice. Nikolay Mikhailov, taking advantage of the occasion, presented Vladimir Linnik with a membership card of the Russian Geographical Society, of which he himself has been a member for 52 years.
Awarded with the Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation for her search activities, third-year student of the Institute of Search and Rescue Sciences Daria Monul briefly spoke about her four years of experience in expeditions and wished everyone to receive high awards for their favorite work.
At the end of the ceremony, the expedition participants showed a second video about the expeditions of the GUU students, after which, together with their friends from MIREA, they personally shared their emotions from the trips, talked about their travels and thanked the leadership of the two universities for the opportunities provided.
Anyone can join the GUU expeditionary corps.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 10/25/2024
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
The recent Brics summit in the Russian city of Kazan was less notable for what happened at the meeting than for what happened before, on the margins, or not at all. Among the notable things that did not happen was another expansion of the organisation.
Since the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the 2023 Brics summit in Johannesburg, which almost doubled the number of member countries from the original five (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), further enlargement has stalled.
Argentina, which was also invited in 2023, declined to join. Saudi Arabia, another 2023 invitee, has not acted on the offer to become a member either. Its de-facto ruler, crown prince Mohammad bin Salman, was among the notable absentees in Kazan.
And Kazakhstan, Russia’s largest neighbour in Central Asia, decided not to join shortly before the summit. This drew Russia’s ire, resulting in a prompt ban on imports of a range of agricultural products from Kazakhstan in retaliation.
While invitees have declined the opportunity to join Brics, a long list of applicants have not been offered membership. According to a statement by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, at a meeting of senior Brics security officials in September, 34 countries have expressed an interest in closer relations with Brics in some form.
This appears to be a substantial increase in interest in Brics membership compared to a year ago, when South Africa’s foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, listed 23 applicants ahead of the 2023 summit.
But the fact that, since then, only six invitations have been extended – and four accepted – indicates that formal enlargement of the organisation, at least for now, has been stymied by the inability of current members to forge consensus over the next round of expansion and the reluctance on the part of some invitees to be associated with the organisation.
Meetings on the margins
The summit declaration may offer little of substance. But there were a number of bilateral meetings before and in the margins of the gathering that are more indicative of the direction of Brics. Perhaps most importantly, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, and China’s president, Xi Jinping, held their first face-to-face discussion in five years.
This is a remarkable change from just a few months ago, when tensions between New Delhi and Beijing were intense enough for Modi to cancel his participation in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Astana, Kazakhstan. Yet, with a deal now reached over their countries’ longstanding border dispute, the two most populous and, in terms of GDP, economically most powerful members of Brics have an opportunity to rebuild their fraught relations.
A warming of relations between China and India could generate more momentum for Brics to deliver on its ambitious agenda to develop, and ultimately implement, a vision for a new global order. Implicit in this would be a shift of leadership in Brics from China and Russia to China and India, and with it, potentially a change from an anti-western to a non-western agenda.
This is, of course, something that exercises Putin. He acknowledged as much when he referred to the global south and global east in his remarks at the summit’s opening meeting. He also emphasised that it was important “to maintain balance and ensure that the effectiveness of Brics mechanisms is not diminished”.
In his own bilateral meetings before and during the summit, Putin drove home the point that, despite western efforts, Russia was far from isolated on the world stage. One-to-one meetings with Xi, Modi, South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and the president of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, gave Putin the chance to push his own vision of Brics as a counterpoint to the US-led west.
This may be a view shared in the global east – Russia, China and Iran, as well as non-Brics members North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela. But many in the global south – particularly India and Brazil – are unlikely to go all in with this agenda. They will focus on benefiting from their Brics membership as much as possible while maintaining close ties with the west.
Lacking a coherent agenda
India is the most significant player in Brics when it comes to balancing between east and west. Nato member Turkey is the equivalent on the outside. The country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, travelled to Kazan and did not shy away from an hour-long meeting with his “dear friend” Putin.
The relationship between Moscow and Ankara is fractious and complex across a wide range of crises from the South Caucasus, to Syria, Libya and Sudan. Yet, on perhaps the most divisive issue of all, Russian aggression towards Ukraine, Turkey has consistently maintained opened channels of communication with Russia and remains the only Nato power able to do so.
The fact that there has been relatively little public pressure from official sources in the west on Erdoğan to stop is probably a reflection that such communication channels are still valued in the west. This, and Nato’s continued cooperation with India, point to a hedging strategy by the west. India cooperates with the US, Australia and Japan – the so-called Quad group of nations – on security in the Indo-Pacific, and it has maintained political dialogue with Nato since 2019.
Turkey and India may not see eye-to-eye with the west on all issues. But neither do they with the global east camp inside Brics, and especially not with Russia. If nothing else, this limits the ability of Brics to forge a coherent agenda, deepen integration and ultimately mount a credible challenge to the existing order.
Relying on India and Turkey to do the west’s bidding in undermining Brics, however, is not a credible long-term strategy. Brics may have achieved little as an organisation, but the Kazan summit declaration indicates that its key players continue to harbour aspirations for more.
However, as the flailing expansion drive of the organisation indicates, there is also an internal battle in Brics over its future direction. This, in turn, creates space and time for the west to exercise more positive and constructive influence in the ongoing process of reshaping the international order.
The global east may be beyond redemption, but there is still a massive opportunity to reengage with the global south.
Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)
Monterey, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), chair of the House Kazakhstan Caucus, released the following statement reiterating his call for the repeal of outdated trade restrictions with Kazakhstan:
“As we approach Kazakhstan’s Republic Day, celebrating its sovereignty from the Soviet Union, I call on the U.S. Congress to prioritize the removal of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment as it applies to Kazakhstan.”
“The Jackson-Vanik Amendment is a Cold War relic, interfering with the United States’ efforts to grow our trade and diplomatic relationships with countries that surround Russia. This amendment continues to prevent Kazakhstan from receiving Permanent Normal Trade Relations status, despite its full compliance with the Trade Act of 1974 and status as a country annually granted Normal Trade Relations.
“Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Congress removed the application of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment to numerous former Soviet states, including Albania, Estonia, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and notably, Russia. Kazakhstan remains a glaring outlier.
“Kazakhstan is a respected member of the World Trade Organization and a reliable partner in implementing U.S. sanctions and export control regimes. The bilateral trade relationship between the United States and Kazakhstan totals $2.5 billion each year. Strengthening our trade relationship with Kazakhstan has the potential to open a new trading partner for critical minerals and other resources while fostering greater investment and diplomatic ties between our two nations. It is long overdue to eliminate this outdated amendment’s application to Kazakhstan, and I will continue my efforts to achieve this goal.”
JIHAD AZOUR, Director of Middle East and Central Asia Department, International Monetary Fund
ANGHAM AL SHAMI, Communications Officer, International Monetary Fund
* * * * *
MS. AL SHAMI: Good morning. Good afternoon to those of you in the region. Thank you for joining us to this press briefing on the Regional Economic Outlook for the Middle east and Central Asia. I’m Angham Al Shami from the Communications Department here at the IMF. If you’re joining us online, we do have Arabic and French interpretations on the IMF Regional Economic Outlook page and IMF Press Center. So please join us there and we have interpretations also in the room. I’m joined here today by Jihad Azour, the Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department here at the IMF and he’s going to give us an overview of the outlook for the region. Jihad over to you.
MR. AZOUR: Angham, thank you very much. Good morning everyone and welcome to the 2024 Annual Meetings. Before taking your questions, I will make few brief remarks to highlight three key messages regarding the economic outlook for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as well as the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA). First, regarding the outlook, growth is set to strengthen in the near term in both MENA and the CCA regions. However, exposure to broader geoeconomic developments is adding to uncertainty. Hence, our 2025 forecasts come with important caveats.
Let me start with the Middle East and North Africa. This year has been challenging, with conflicts causing devastating human suffering and economic damage. Oil production cuts are contributing to sluggish growth in many economies, too. The recent escalation in Lebanon has increased uncertainty in the MENA region. The second important issue is on growth. For 2024, growth is projected at 2.1 percent, a downgrade revision of 0.6 percent from the April WEO forecast, and this is largely due to the impact of the conflict and the prolonged OPEC+ production cuts. To the extent that these gradually abate, we anticipate stronger growth of 4 percent in 2025. However, uncertainty about when these factors will ease is still very high.
MENA oil exporters are expected to see growth rise from 2.3 percent this year to 4 percent in 2025, contingent on the expiration of the voluntary oil production cuts. Growth in oil importers is projected to recover from 1.5 percent in 2024 to 3.9 percent in 2025, assuming conflicts ease. Let me now turn to the outlook for Caucasus and Central Asia. The CCA regions continue to show robust growth, which was revised up to 4.3 percent in 2024, with growth of 4.5 percent expected for next year. However, some economies are seeing tentative signs of slower trade and other inflows, especially on the remittance side. Subdued oil production is weighing on the medium-term growth prospect for CCA oil exporters. And for oil importers, growth projects depend on the reform implementation. The disinflation process is continuing and is continuing across both MENA and CCA region with headline inflation coming down significantly compared to the peak levels over the past two years. However, inflation remains elevated in few cases due to country specific challenges.
My second point is on the medium-term growth prospects. Medium-term growth prospects have faded over the past two decades and are now relatively weak in many economies. Changing these dynamics requires steady reform implementation. Priorities are for the MENA and CCA regions include governance improvement, job creation, especially for women and youth, investment promotion and financial development. Achieving stronger and more resilient growth will not only foster job creation and greater inclusion, but will also help reduce elevated debt levels and enable progress toward the development of social spending goals.
My third point is on the uncertainty. High uncertainty means that the economic outlook is fraught with risks. The recent intensification of conflict in Lebanon has increased uncertainty and risks to a further level, and the risk of further escalation in the MENA region is the main issue here in terms of increase in risks. This fluid situation is not yet factored in our analysis, and downside risks could be material depending on the extent of the escalation. We are closely monitoring the situation and assessing the potential economic impacts. Overall, the impact will depend on the severity of any potential escalation. The conflict could impact the region through multiple channels. Beyond the impact on output, other key channels of transmissions could include tourism, trade, potential refugee and migration flows, oil and gas market volatility, financial markets and social unrest.
Concern is also high about the possibility of prolonged conflict in Sudan, increased geoeconomic fragmentation, volatility in commodity prices, especially for the oil exporting countries, high debt and financing needs for emerging markets and recurrent climate shocks. In the CCA, risks are primarily associated with potential financial instability resulting from sudden shift in trade and financial flows, and for both regions, failure to implement sufficient reform could constrain already muted prospects for medium term growth.
Before opening the floor to your questions, let me emphasize the Fund’s commitment to supporting economies across the region. Our engagement remains strong in terms of financing and presence. Since early 2020, the Fund has approved $47.7 billion in financing to countries across MENA and CCA and we have carried out capacity development projects for 31 countries only in the last fiscal years. Thank you very much for being here today and I’m now happy to take your questions.
MS. AL SHAMI: So, we’ll now turn to your questions. If you’re on Webex, please turn on your camera and raise your hand and we will call on you. And if you’re in the room, please raise your hand. So let’s start with maybe the middle right here, the gentleman.
QUESTIONER: Hello and good morning, Jihad. I wanted to bring you back to your comments about the risks of an escalation in the region. Obviously, the human toll of this would be horrific, but in terms of the impact on the economies in the region, particularly Egypt, which is already suffering from an extreme loss of revenues from the Suez Canal, and then Lebanon, which you’ve had discussions with in the past, those really never went anywhere because of lack of commitment to do reforms. What are the prospects of having to either redo some of the programs or create new ones if there’s an escalation? Thank you.
MS. AL SHAMI: Thank you, Dave. Maybe we’ll take another question on the conflict. Kyle, second row here.
QUESTIONER: Hi, good morning. Thank you for taking my question. Earlier this morning, the Managing Director said the outlook for the MENA is significantly downgraded and she cited mostly the geopolitical conflict. So could you walk us through, like, where exactly the economic impact has been felt since the April release?
MS. AL SHAMI: Maybe we’ll take those two questions, Jihad, on the conflict.
AZOUR: Thank you very much. Well, first of all, the conflict is inflicting heavy human toll, and our hearts goes to all the victims and those who were, in their life and livelihoods were affected by the escalation of the conflict. Of course, the impact of the conflict is to be differentiated between countries who are at the epicenter. The group of countries who are severely affected by the conflict, Gaza, West Bank, the whole Palestinian economy has been severely affected. Lebanon also. And the Lebanese economy was severely affected, with more than 1.2 million people displaced, which represent almost 25 percent of the population, destruction of livelihoods in a broad region that is mainly agriculture, and the impact on some key sectors like tourism and trade. Therefore, the severely affected countries are seeing a large drop in their economic activity, and they will face contraction in their economies in the context of high inflation.
The second group I would call the group of partially affected countries. And here we have countries like Jordan, Syria and Egypt. And you have mentioned Egypt. The main channel of impact on Egypt is trade. The reduction in trade volume going through the Suez Canal has affected revenues by more than 60 to 70 percent on average for the Suez Canal, which would represent between 4 and a half to , $5 billion of loss in revenues. For Jordan, the impact is mainly on tourism, which is not the case for Egypt. Those are the two main countries affected. Syria of course, is affected, but we have very little information on that. This second group of partially affected countries, authorities have already started to take actions to protect their economies against that. And we have the indirectly affected countries. And here we have to look at the channels of transmission. Trade is one. The other one is the impact on tourism. The impact on oil and gas has been relatively muted so far, except high volatility in the short term. We did not see a major impact on the oil and gas sector yet. I think one has to recognize that it’s a highly uncertain moment and therefore things are changing constantly and we are ourselves updating regularly our assessment of the situation. Our numbers, for example, for the outlook do not report the latest development in the last months or so and therefore we will be updating our numbers. This high level of uncertainty is affecting countries with vulnerabilities. And this is where the Fund is in fact acting in providing support to countries in order to help them go through these severe shocks.
MS. AL SHAMI: Thank you, Jihad. We’ll go for another round of questions. Maybe we’ll go to the first gentleman in the first row, please.
QUESTIONER: Many Arab countries have taken on significant debt to fund infrastructure and economic reforms. What the strategies does the IMF recommend for managing the tracing debt levels, particularly for non-oil economies and taking into consideration what’s happening in the region with all the conflicts.
MS. AL SHAMI: Thank you. We have another question that we received that’s also on debt. What are the projections of the Fund concerning the region’s debt levels amid the ongoing regional tensions?
MR. AZOUR: Thank you for your questions. Well, of course the high level of debt has been one of the main issues that several economies in the region, especially the middle income and the emerging economies of the region are facing. And here I would address the issue in three levels. The level of debt that constitute a major macroeconomic stability issue. And we recommend countries to address this by having an inclusive but sustained fiscal consolidations in order to reduce the risk level, in order to strengthen their capacity to raise revenues and reduce the overall macroeconomic risk. And when the Fund is asked, the Fund is providing support to many countries on that front.
The second dimension is the financing dimension. The overall financing need for this year are going to be around $286 billion, almost $6 billion higher for the whole region in terms of financing need. Compared to last year, this include not only, I would say all importing middle income countries, but the whole region and therefore securing enough financing is another issue. And the third one that is becoming a challenging issue that requires a combination of measures is the cost of debt service. The cost of debt service because of the increase in interest rate has become one of the main, I would say, fiscal issue that countries are facing.
The last point, I would add, is the fact that recently we were witnessing a greater reliance on local markets when it comes to financing the local debt. Therefore, the nexus between the governor, the government and the market and the local market has increased. And this is why it’s important to have a clear medium term reform agenda in order to reduce the weight of the debt, to improve fiscal space, but also to provide more comfort to investors to broaden the finance space.
MS. AL SHAMI: Thank you, Jihad. We’ll turn now to the online questions, and we have Fatima Ibrahim. Fatima, if you’re online, you can come in. Okay. Otherwise we’ll take some questions from the floor. We’ll start maybe with the gentleman in the middle. Yeah.
QUESTIONER: Good morning, this is Adil from Daily Business Recorder, Pakistan. Thank you for taking my question. So the World Economic Outlook projects Pakistan’s growth rate at a higher rate compared to last year, 3.2 percent. The modest growth of 2.4 percent last year was predominantly driven by the agriculture sector, which had its best performance in the last two decades, right. The services sector also benefited from agriculture success while the manufacturing was negative. The agriculture sector faces significant downside risks this time. While manufacturing is also highly constrained by high energy tariffs and weak demand locally. Do you think a higher growth rate can be achieved without fiscal expansion the way Pakistan has primed the pump in the past after securing an IMF program? Or do you think it can happen sustainably? Thank you.
MS. AL SHAMI: Thank you. Any other questions on Pakistan before we — any other questions on Pakistan? Okay.
MR. AZOUR: Thank you very much. Yes, the projections are showing that the Pakistani economy will grow at 2.4 percent this year compared to minus 0.2 percent last year and expected for next year to grow at 3.2 percent. This constitutes an improvement at a time where we are seeing also inflation going down from 29 percent last year to 12.6 percent this year and we expect inflation to go down to 10.6 percent next year.
Of course, the reform package that the government of Pakistan has put together has several objectives. One is to achieve fiscal sustainability by addressing some of the long awaited fiscal issues, especially on increasing the share of revenues in order to reduce the deficit, but also to improve the quality of the revenues by addressing some of the issues that existed in terms of tax collection and also in terms of special regimes. Reforming the SOEs is also an important priority that will increase the capacity of Pakistan to provide a greater space for the private sector, level the playing field and increase FDIs by doing so. This will allow the Pakistani economy to be more export driven and also to be ready to attract additional investment.
The monetary policy is also helping by tackling the issue of inflation and also by reducing any construction constraints on capital flows as well as also on the exchange transfers which also with the broad context of reforms will allow additional predictability and will reduce the risks or the constraints on the current account. Therefore, the package of reform that has been set has not only the ambition to strengthen stability in terms of macroeconomic stability and reduced financing risks, but also has the ambition to reform some of the key sectors including the energy and the SOEs, improve the business environment, attract more FDRs and allow the economy to be more export driven which will unleash the potential of the Pakistani economy without having an impact on the current account.
MS. AL SHAMI: Thank you Jihad. We’ll turn now online. I’m going to read your questions because I have them here. Two questions on Egypt. Question is regarding negotiations that Egypt will start with the IMF regarding the timing of implementing the economic reforms. Does the IMF see that any of these can be delayed? And the second point how does the IMF see the situation of the Egyptian economy in light of the recent developments? And have you tested that during your projections regarding growth and energy prices?
If those that want to ask on Egypt we’ll start here — many hands. Yes, the gentleman here.
QUESTIONER: I will speak in Arabic. It’s a technical point, Mr. Jihad. I wanted to ask you about the policies of the Fund that they aim at improving the living standards of the citizens and to reach the most vulnerable population. And during the negotiations, some of those negotiations they contradict with these principles I mean increasing the price of energy. I mean again for floating the price of the pound and adjustment of some prices of the commodities such as power. And this is part of the reform program. Does this apply to the current situation in Egypt in general? Whether I speak about improving the standards of living especially as these put more pressures on the vulnerable population.
MS. AL SHAMI: Please any other questions? We’ll take the gentleman please be brief so we can take other questions.
QUESTIONER: My question like Mrs. Georgieva said today that she’s going to visit Egypt in like within 10 days for like discussing the maybe reassessment in the program and that came in context with President he said that the economic situation it might lead Egypt to like rethinking about the reform program with the IMF. Can you highlight in which points might like Mrs. Georgieva is going to discuss? Are you going to change the program? Are you going to change your condition for reforming program or it’s just going to be trying to convince Egyptian regime that the reform program that you have already agreed is going as usual and as you see like this came in contact with my colleague from Egypt about suffering of increasing price for gas and many other goods and stuff in Egypt. So like what’s going on exactly in this meeting between Ms. Georgieva and President Sisi Thank you.
MS. AL SHAMI: Thank you. We’ll take one last question on Egypt and then we’ll move on the second, third row please.
QUESTIONER: My question is, is there any possibility of increasing the size of Egypt’s long given the widening of the conflict in the Middle east in recent weeks? Thank you.
MS. AL SHAMI: We’ll turn to you Jihad.
MR. AZOUR: Okay. In fact there are three levels of the different questions. One is on the economic situation in Egypt. The second is on the program and the relationship between the Fund and Egypt and also on some of the specific measures. Well, first of all, and I will answer part in Arabic and part in English for the question that came from the online audience. Like other countries in the region, Egypt has been subjected to the impact of the increase in tension due to the conflict. I mentioned earlier, Egypt is a country that is partially affected and mainly the impact was on the revenues from the Suez Canal. Luckily, the impact on tourism was almost muted. We did not see any drop for a sector that employs a large part of the population. Therefore, there are two levels of impact. The direct impact of the conflict and the high level of uncertainty that affects Egypt as much as affect other countries in the region, especially in terms of attracting direct investment and attracting inflows.
On the other side, there are certain number of internal issues that the authorities are dealing with. The high level of inflation is one. Inflation has reached last year35 percent and it’s important if we want to preserve the purchasing power of the people, especially the low- and middle-income people, is to address inflation. The best way to protect the livelihood of people is by reducing the level of price increase. Therefore, the first pillar of the program was to strengthen stability and also protect the economy from external shocks. This economy has been subjected to external shocks over the last four years Covid and then the war in Ukraine and then the recent conflict in the region. And this is where the importance, for example of the flexibility of the exchange rate. The flexibility of the exchange rate will reduce the impact of external shocks that could destabilize the local economy, would give more predictability in terms of capital flows and will reduce the risk of using other type of measures that would have an impact on economic activity.
Therefore, it’s very important to preserve it because it’s the best way to reduce the impact of external shocks on the local economy. Of course, it has to go hand in hand with monetary policy that works on addressing inflation. Inflation is going down and I think this is a positive news. We expect it next year to reach 16 percent. Of course, there are some short term hikes when some of the measures are introduced, but those are usually short lived impact. Therefore, monetary policy is also a priority in order to reduce the macro instability, but also reduce the pressure on the low middle income people. Three is we need to create growth. Also, we’re happy to see that the growth prospects for next year are improving 4 percent for the fiscal year 2025. But I think we can do more. How to do more is by allowing the private sector to be investing, creating jobs. And the best way to do it is for the state to give more space to the private sector and also for the state to be, I would say allowing them the competition to take place. And this requires to accelerate some of the reforms of the SOEs, including increasing the private sector share in those investments.
The program has been built based on those objectives and when shocks occurred, the Fund responded very quickly. We have increased the size of the program from $3 billion to $8 billion in the last review that took place in April. Taking into consideration that Egypt has been subjected to the shock of the conflict. The other also positive element that FDIs have increased with 35, 34 billion dollars of investment from UAE. I think this provided additional needed investment and also needed inflow. And we hope that this investment will be one of the elements that will bring growth to Egypt. Therefore, in terms of inflows Egypt has been receiving, in addition to what the Fund has provided, what the UAE has provided also additional financing from bilateral and multilateral institutions. The World Bank, the EU have increased their financing to Egypt and therefore, going back to the question, should we revisit the size of the program? I think the macroeconomic conditions today are showing that the program as it’s designed and its finance is still appropriate.
On the question of some of the specific. The impact of some of the specific measures here, I think we have to differentiate between two dimensions. There are certain measures who have impact and those need to be countered by some other measures, especially on the social front. And we are happy to see that the various programs that exist, Takaful and Karama and other programs are activated in order to address some of these issues. Whenever you introduce those kind of fiscal measures, you need to protect the most vulnerable. You need to allow the mostly affected and those who have limited capacity to be protected. And therefore, when you do so, it allows you to create fiscal buffers, especially on the revenue side, to make it fairer and more effective i.e.not to have all the tax burden on the low income or middle-income people through consumption tax to increase the progressivity in the tax system, but also on the other hand, to provide more on the social protection level the program has in it.And the Fund team is working with authorities on the way to make sure that what is in the program is sufficient enough and what needs to be done to improve the outreach of the social program. And during the visit of the MD, this will be one of the priority issues that the MD will raise and will discuss is how effective the social protection programs are. Therefore, I think whenever you have to address imbalances that have been there for some time, there are some consolidation. But you want to make sure that this consolidation is growth friendly, is inclusive and also it provides sustainable economic transformation.
This is how the program has been designed. It has been designed to live in a shock prone world. It has been designed in order to allow the economy to be more geared toward growth that is driven by export and create more opportunities. Of course the uncertainty in the region is high. We take this into consideration and earlier I mentioned that we are constantly looking at the impact. We’re looking also at the potential escalations and what does it mean for our countries.
But again, I think it’s important in the case of Egypt as well as also in Jordan. Those programs provide an anchor of stability at a time of uncertainty. I think there is a great value of those programs. We saw it in Jordan with the upgrade of Jordan in terms of rating. Those programs provide an anchor of stability, and I think what the region needs today is stability. And this is on that premise that we are engaging with countries in the region, and we are in fact we’re ready to engage and to provide more support.
MS. AL SHAMI: Thank you, Jihad. Let’s turn to the room. Maybe we’ll go to the gentleman in the back. Yes, right here. Thank you.
QUESTIONER: He will ask the question in Arabic. In light of the environment in the GCC region, what are your projections for growth and specifically the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, your projections for growth?
MR. AZOUR: No doubt, no doubt that the GCC countries have managed over the past years to adapt to a large number of shocks and challenges that are being witnessed in the region and the whole world. Starting from COVID pandemic and oil shocks. And oil countries and GCC countries have maintained a certain level of growth despite the fact that there was the OPEC+ and its agreements.
For 2024, our projections are better than 2023. The growth is about 1.2 percent in 2024 and will improve in 2025 to reach 4.2 percent in 25. And this is very important if we put this in the framework of the fact that the main driving force behind the growth in the GCC countries is the development of non-oil economy. And this is a very important element. The development of non-oil economy was a main leverage for growth and the Gulf countries maintained a good level of growth ranging between 3 to 4 percent for non-oil growth under our investments that are aimed to develop other economic sectors in the future such as renewable energy as well as technology which contribute to increasing the capacity of these countries to increase the revenue, to diversify the sources of revenue for the economy and to adapt to the economic changes all over the world.
With regard to economy of Saudi Arabia, we expect that this year the growth will be 1.5 percent which is an improvement as compared to growth last year which was minus 0.2 percent. And for next year it will be 4.6 percent for Saudi Arabia. What has contributed to this in the first place? The economic development, non-oil economy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and also the production which has been improving and also the unwinding of the OPEC agreement. And again the question.
MS. AL SHAMI: If not, we’ll turn to the room. Maybe the — yes. . Yes, we can hear you now.
QUESTIONER: Good evening. Thank you and good evening. Mr. Jihad, I would like to ask in Arabic my question. What made the IMF expect that the growth will be 2.9 percent for Jordan next year compared to 2.5 percent this year. In light of the continuing war in the Middle East. This is first. Second question. The IMF in its last review has said that the revenue of Jordan have decreased, whereas other estimates would say that the revenue have increased. How would you interpret these different estimates or different numbers? And what can Jordan do to increase its revenues? Thank you,Also a few questions.
MS. AL SHAMI: Please be brief. Thank you.
QUESTIONER: Hello, can you hear me well?
MS. AL SHAMI: Yes, we can hear you.
QUESTIONER: Thank you for this opportunity. First of all, to ask my questions. I would like to ask you about the upcoming COP 29 conference which is scheduled to be held in Azerbaijan very soon. And what are specific initiatives that the IMF plans to support during the conference to promote sustainable development?
MS. AL SHAMI: We lost — okay, I think we can’t hear you, but we’ll come back. Maybe we’ll take one in the room. Yes, please.
QUESTIONER: I’m from Kazakhstan. So my question is, how do you evaluate the effect of the war in Ukraine on the economies of Central Asian region, specifically my country, Kazakhstan? Because we’re located too close to Russia and my country has the same border with it, and we are tied economically.
MS. AL SHAMI: Thank you. So that was a question on Kazakhstan and we had an earlier question, Azerbaijan. You want to have one final question before we turn to you, Jihad.
QUESTIONER: I have a question about the main obstacles to foreign investment in Saudi Arabia and what the authorities can do in order to improve that. Thank you.
MR. AZOUR: Thank you. The first question I think is about the economic impact in Jordan of the war. Of course, the Jordanian economy is close to the hot area. Jordan was affected in tourism, as I said before. And this impact on tourism also affected the economy in Jordan. Also trade and the Aqaba port. The impact continues, but no doubt the uncertainty and the fluidity is very high. However, last year and this year Jordan managed to maintain economic stability and to achieve an acceptable growth rate, 2.3. This year we expect it to improve to 2.5 percent if the situation continues as it is and there was no more escalation in the region. We attribute this to the measures taken by the government in the previous years in order to improve the performance of the economy and to achieve stabilization.
The Jordanian economy proved to be resilient despite the tensions. The additional good factor is that inflation is low. And the Central bank of Jordan managed to keep low inflation at 1.8 percent this year, which contributes to the easing of monetary policy. With regard to the point about the revenues, the amount of revenues, I’ll go back to you when I talk with the team. But what I want to say is that in the past few years Jordan achieved successes in raising revenues which contributed to lower deficits and better stability, which enabled Jordan to secure the main financial needs and to keep stability and to increase investments and financial flows. And we’ve seen this improvement at the beginning of this year in the form of the higher rating agencies rating for Jordan.
The COP 29 the COP 29 the Fund has been an important partner to Azerbaijan for the preparation of the COP 29. As you know, last year and before, the Fund has been extremely involved and the Fund has scaled up its support to members on the climate side by providing programs to help countries accelerate their transformation and finance long term climate priorities. The Fund is also mainstreaming the climate issues in the surveillance and is providing a wealth of knowledge on the priorities, including for the Caucasus and Central Asia region where the Fund has recently produced a series of analytical pieces about the importance of adaptation for the region as well as also how to tackle the issue of mitigation and climate finance. And I would encourage you and others to look at those. Those are important pieces that will be featured during the COP 29. Of course, we had recently during this week meetings with the authorities and the Fund is looking forward to maintain its active partnership with the authorities and play an important role in COP 29.
The last question was impact of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on CCA countries and in particular on Kazakhstan. Of course, let me say a few words on that. Countries in the CCA in general have been able over the last four years and specifically over the last two years to protect their economies from the negative impact of the war in Ukraine and at the same time they were able to address the other risk that was coming from the increase in inflation or inflationary pressure. When it comes to Kazakhstan, we project growth this year to be at 3.5 percent and we expect it to improve next year and reach 4.6 percent. Of course, part of it is also due to the new investments in energy and in the new the new oil and gas fields, but also to the good performance of the non-oil sector.
Clearly here also the level of uncertainty is high, and we recommend countries to maintain on one hand their reform drive to preserve macroeconomic stability and on the other hand to accelerate structural reforms to regain levels of growth that would be needed in order to allow economic convergence between Central Asia and Caucasus countries with their peers to this gap to widen. And this afternoon we will. Sorry. Tomorrow we will have a special session on the medium-term growth priorities, including the structural reforms. And we will tackle some of the priorities for Kazakhstan as well as also other Central Asian countries.
The last question is obstacles to investment in Saudi Arabia. This is the last question. You want it in Arabic or English? In Arabic. If we look at the past few years under Vision 2030, you will see that there are some reforms that have contributed primarily to the improvement of the investment climate and to increase the growth rate outside of the government scope. There was lower unemployment, especially among the youth, and also an increase in the participation of women. And this has improved things despite all the volatilities and all the oil production cuts. These reforms and investment projects that were adopted improve the size of the economy and make it more able to attract investments in the oil sector and also other like entertainment and technology.
In the past year there was a revisiting of the priorities, and the priority was more priority was given to technology, AI, climate. All of this opens the door for more direct investment from abroad as in Saudi Arabia, also in the region. Direct investment in the past 10 years was not as aspired. There are internal reasons and also regional reasons because of the volatility and also because the global economic development reduced direct investments in the region.
MS. AL SHAMI: Today’s briefing. Thank you very much all for joining us today. Jihad, any final words on the launch?
MR. AZOUR: One, I would like to thank you very much again, I would like to ask you to remain tuned. I mentioned in my opening that the volatility of the situation requires from us and the high level of uncertainty to keep ourselves updated and to keep updating you. This afternoon we will. Sorry. Tomorrow afternoon we will have an interesting session that looks into not the short-term where the level of uncertainty is extremely high, but the medium-term. What are the priorities in terms of growth? What are the priorities also in terms of investment? We will launch officially with the details with the tables the outlook in Dubai next week. It will be on October 31st and then immediately also we will launch the outlook for Caucuses and Central Asia.
Tomorrow at 3pm I would like to invite you all for an interesting session where we are going to discuss one of our key analytical chapters that has to focus on medium term growth. With that, thank you very much. I’m sure there are follow up questions. Myself and the team who is here will be ready to provide you with additional answers to your questions.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
On October 17-18, the sixth annual international scientific conference on innovations in the digital economy SPBPU IDE-2024 was held at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The event was organized and held by the Higher School of Engineering and Economics (HSE) of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade (IPMET) together with the Center for Sustainable Development of the University of Indonesia. The opening, plenary session and sections of the conference were held in the IPMET building, and participants from other countries and regions had the opportunity to join the conference via online communication.
Welcoming the participants, Vladimir Glukhov, Advisor to the Rectorate of SPbPU, noted that the conference is an important step towards strengthening international scientific cooperation and promotes knowledge exchange for the development of innovative potential, taking into account global challenges. Vladimir Shchepinin, Director of IPMEIT, emphasized the importance of discussing current issues and prospects for the development of the digital economy, and wished the participants fruitful work.
Cooperation with colleagues from Belarus, Armenia, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, India, and Tajikistan allows expanding the geography of research contacts. At the plenary session, VIES Director Dmitry Rodionov noted that holding such events helps promote the results of scientific activity of SPbPU scientists at the international level.
The partner for the conference was traditionally the University of Indonesia. At the plenary session, it was represented by the Deputy for Green and Digital Infrastructure of the Nusantara Administration, Professor Dr. Mohammed Ali Berawi.
Opening remarks and keynote speeches were given by partners from the University of Indonesia, Nanjing University, Russian-Armenian University, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, Yerevan State University, Tashkent State University of Economics, Da Nang University, and the Indian Institute of Technology.
Special thanks for organizing and holding the plenary session and sections are expressed to the staff of VIESH, in particular Professor Andrey Zaitsev, Associate Professors Tatyana Mokeeva, Daria Krasnova, Ksenia Evseeva and assistant Daria Kryzhko.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: Corruption risk assessment in focus of OSCE seminar in Turkmenistan
Participants during an OSCE-organized seminar on interagency co-operation and co-ordination in corruption risk assessment, Ashgabat, 23 October 2024, OSCE (OSCE) Photo details
Interagency co-operation and co-ordination in corruption risk assessment and implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption’s (UNCAC) were addressed at an OSCE-organized seminar that took place in Ashgabat on 23 and 24 October 2024.
The seminar presented best practices of OSCE participating States in strengthening inter-agency co-operation in preventing and combating corruption.
An international expert from Moldova provided the participants with a comprehensive overview of the principles and requirements of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and of the process of self-assessment of the implementation of the Convention.
“Corruption, as a key threat to good governance, democratic processes and fair business practices, also poses a major impediment to progress in trade and connectivity,” said Olivera Zurovac-Kuzman, Economic and Environmental Officer of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
“The OSCE Centrе in Ashgabat is actively collaborating with the Government of Turkmenistan on anti-corruption and related issues and stands ready to support efforts to improve public administration, promote transparency and accountability, and foster inter-agency co-operation and co-ordination in preventing and combating corruption,” stressed Zurovac-Kuzman.
Participants shared their views on how to enhance inter-agency co-operation and co-ordination of actions on key areas of the UN Convention against Corruption and examined parallel financial investigations as a tool to counteract and fight corruption. Special attention was paid to identification, tracing and seizure of criminal assets, pre-seizure planning and management of seized and confiscated assets.
The two-day event brought together representatives of Ministry of Finance and Economy Turkmenistan, Ministry of Adalat (Justice), State Customs Service, Central Bank, and Mejlis (Parliament), as well as the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and other relevant institutions.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Christopher Hill, Associate Professor (Research and Development), Faculty of Business and Creative Industries, University of South Wales
Nuclear detonations were the backdrop to Teeua and Teraabo’s childhood. By the time the sisters were eight and four, the Pacific island on which they grew up, Kiritimati, had hosted 30 atomic and thermonuclear explosions – six during Operation Grapple, a British series between 1957 and 1958, and 24 during Operation Dominic, led by the US in 1962.
The UK’s secretary of state for the colonies, Alan Lennox-Boyd, had claimed the Grapple series would put Britain “far ahead of the Americans, and probably the Russians too, in super-bomb development”. Grapple, the country’s largest tri-service operation since D-Day, also involved troops from Fiji and New Zealand. It sought to secure the awesome power of the hydrogen bomb: a thermonuclear device far more destructive than the atomic bomb.
Britain’s seat at the top table of “super-bomb development” was emphatically announced in April 1958 with Grapple Y: an “H-bomb” 200 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. This remains Britain’s largest nuclear detonation – one of more than 100 conducted by the UK, US and Soviet Union in 1958 alone.
More than six decades later, the health effects on former servicemen based on Kiritimati, as well as at test locations in South and Western Australia, remain unresolved. Greater Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham, has called the treatment of UK nuclear test veterans “the longest-standing and, arguably, the worst” of all the British public scandals in recent history.
Over the past year, the life stories of British nuclear test veterans have been collected by researchers, including myself, for an oral history project in partnership with the British Library. Whether from a vantage point of air, land or sea, the veterans all recall witnessing nuclear explosions with startling clarity, as if the moment was seared on to their memories. According to Doug Herne, a ship’s cook with the Royal Navy:
When the flash hit you, you could see the X-rays of your hands through your closed eyes. Then the heat hit you, and it was as if someone my size had caught fire and walked through me. To say it was frightening is an understatement. I think it shocked us into silence.
British servicemen describe their nuclear test experiences. Video: Wester van Gaal/Motherboard.
But what of the experiences of local people on Kiritimati? I have recently interviewed two sisters who are among the few surviving islanders who witnessed the nuclear tests. This is their story.
‘A mushroom cloud igniting the sky’
At the start of Operation Grapple in May 1957, around 250 islanders lived on Kiritimati – the world’s largest coral reef atoll, slap bang in the centre of the Pacific Ocean, around 1,250 miles (2,000km) due south of Hawaii. The island’s name is derived from the English word “Christmas”, the atoll having been “discovered” by the British explorer James Cook on Christmas Eve 1777.
In May 2023, I visited Kiritimati for a research project on “British nuclear imperialism”, which investigated how post-war Britain used its dwindling imperial assets and resources as a springboard for nuclear development. I sought to interview islanders who had remained on the atoll since the tests, including Teeua Tekonau, then aged 68. In 2024, I visited her younger sister, Teraabo Pollard, who lives more than 8,000 miles away in the contrasting surroundings of Burnley, north-west England.
Far from descriptions of fear and terror, both Teeua and Teraabo looked back on the tests with striking enthusiasm. Teraabo recalled witnessing them from the local maneaba (open-air meeting place) or tennis court as a “pleasurable” experience full of “excitement”.
She described having her ears plugged with cotton wool before being covered with a blanket. As if by magic, the blanket was then lifted to reveal a mushroom cloud igniting the night sky – a sight accompanied by sweetened bread handed out by American soldiers. So vivid was the light that Teraabo, then aged four, described “being excited about it being daytime again”.
An Operation Grapple thermonuclear test near Kiritimati, 1957-58. Video: Imperial War Museums.
In view of the violence of the tests, I was struck that Teeua and Teraabo volunteered these positive memories. Their enthusiasm seemed in marked contrast to growing concerns about the radioactive fallout – including those voiced by surviving test veterans and their descendants. As children, the tests seem to have offered the sisters a spectacle of fantasy and escapism – glazed with the saccharine of American treats and Disney films on British evacuation ships.
Yet they have also lived through the premature deaths of family members and, in Teraabo’s case, a malignant tumour dating from the time of the tests. And there have been similar stories from other families who lived in the shadow of these very risky, loosely controlled experiments. Teraabo told me about a friend who had peeked out from her blanket as a young girl – and who suffered from eye and health problems ever since.
‘Only a very slight health hazard’
Kiritimati forms part of the impossibly large Republic of Kiribati – a nation of 33 islands spread over 3.5 million square kilometres; the only one to have territory in all four hemispheres and, until 1995, on either side of the international date line. Before independence from Britain in 1979, Kiribati belonged to the Gilbert and Ellice Island Colony, which in effect made Kiritimati a “nuclear colony” for the purpose of British and American testing.
In 1955, Teeua and Teraabo’s parents, Taraem and Tekonau Tetoa, left their home island of Tabiteuea, a small atoll belonging to the Gilbert group of islands in the western Pacific. They boarded a British merchant vessel bound for Christmas Island nearly 2,000 miles away. Setting sail with new-born Teeua in their arms, the family looked forward to a future cutting copra on Kiritimati’s British coconut plantation.
The scale of this journey, with four young children, was immense. Just how the hundred or so Gilbertese passengers “managed to live [during the voyage] was better not asked”, according to one royal engineer who described a similar voyage a few years later. “There were piles of coconuts everywhere – perhaps they were for both food and drink.”
The Insights section is committed to high-quality longform journalism. Our editors work with academics from many different backgrounds who are tackling a wide range of societal and scientific challenges.
Within two years of their arrival, the family faced more upheaval as mother Taraem and her children were packed aboard another ship ahead of the first three sets of British nuclear tests in the Pacific. Known as Grapple 1, 2 and 3, they were to be detonated over Malden Island, an atoll some 240 miles to the south of Kiritimati – but still too close for the comfort of local residents.
According to Teeua, the evacuation was prompted by disillusioned labourers brought to Kiritimati without their families, who went on strike after learning how much the British troops were being paid. But the islanders’ perspectives do not feature much in the colonial records, which give precedence to British disputes about logistical costs and safety calculations.
The Grapple task force resolved that the safe limit set by the International Commission on Radiological Protection should be reduced, to limit the cost of evacuations. A meeting in November 1956 noted that “only a very slight health hazard to people would arise from this reduction – and that only to primitive peoples”.
Shocking as this remark sounds, it is typical of the disregard that nuclear planners appear to have had, both for Indigenous communities and the mostly working-class soldiers. These lives did not seem to matter much in the context of Britain’s quest for nuclear supremacy. William Penney, Britain’s chief nuclear scientist, had bemoaned how critics during tests in Australia were “intent on thwarting the whole future of the British Empire for the sake of a few Aboriginals”.
Tekonau, Teeua’s father, was one of the 30 or so I-Kiribati people to stay behind on Kiritimati during the Malden tests in May and June 1957. As one of the only labourers to speak English, he had gained the trust of the district commissioner, Percy Roberts, who invited Tekonau to accompany him during inspections of villagers’ houses in Port London, then the island’s only village. On one occasion, Teeua said, the islanders did not recognise her father as he had been given a “flat top” haircut like the Fijian soldiers. “This means he had a nice relationship with the soldiers,” she told me. “Thank God for giving me such a good and clever dad.”
Since the initial tests did not produce a thermonuclear explosion, the task force embarked on further trials between November 1957 and September 1958, known as Grapple X, Y and Z. In view of expense and time, these were conducted on Kiritimati rather than Malden Island – and this time, the residents were not evacuated to other islands. Rather, families were brought aboard ships in the island’s harbour and shown films below deck.
After these tests, the islanders returned to find the large X and Y detonations had cracked the walls of their homes and smashed their doors and furniture. One islander found their pet frigate bird, like so many of the wild birds on Kiritimati, had been blinded by the flash of Grapple Y. No compensation was ever paid to the islanders, although the Ministry of Supply did reimburse the colony for deterioration of “plantation assets”, including £4 for every damaged coconut tree (equivalent to £120 today).
A month before Grapple Y, Teraabo was born. Her earliest and most vivid childhood memories are of the US-led Operation Dominic four years later, by which time evacuation procedures had been abandoned altogether.
This series of tests was sanctioned by Britain in exchange for a nuclear-powered submarine and access to the Nevada Proving Grounds in the US – regarded as pivotal to the future of British weapons technology ahead of the signing of the Test Ban Treaty in October 1963, which would prohibit atmospheric testing.
Dominic’s 24 detonations on Kiritimati – which usually took place after sunset around 6pm, between April and November 1962 – were “awesome”, according to Teraabo. Recalling the suspense as the “tannoy announced the countdown”, she described “coming out of cover [and] witnessing the bomb [as] an amazing experience … When the bomb set off, the brilliance of the light was tremendous.”
Each explosion’s slow expiration would re-illuminate the Pacific sky. One, Starfish Prime, became known as a “rainbow bomb” because of the multi-coloured aurora it produced over the Pacific, having been launched into space where it exploded.
So spectacular were these descriptions that I almost felt I had to suspend disbelief as I listened. At one point in my interview with Teraabo, she leaned in to reassure me that she had no interest in exaggerating these events: “I’m a very proud person,” she whispered, “I would never lie.”
‘In our blood’
More than six decades on from the Grapple tests, I was sitting in Teeua’s kitchen in the village of Tabwakea (meaning “turtle”), near the northern tip of Kiritimati. I had driven here in a Subaru Forester, clapped-out from the many potholes on the island’s main road, itself built by royal engineers over 60 years ago.
Teeua Tekonau in her kitchen during the author’s visit to Kiritimati in 2023. Christopher R. Hill., CC BY
Teeua’s home, nestled down a sand track, had a wooden veranda at the front where she would teach children to read and write under shelter from the hot equatorial sun. Handcrafted mats lined the sand and coral floor, fanning out from the veranda to the kitchen at the back.
The house felt full of the sounds of the local community, from the chatter of neighbours to the laughter of children outdoors. No one could feel lonely here, despite the vastness of the ocean that surrounds Kiritimati.
As Teeua cooked rice and prepared coffee, we discussed the main reason for my visit: to understand the impacts of the nuclear tests on the islanders, their descendents, and the sensitive ecosystem in which they live. Teeua is chair of Kiritimati’s Association of Atomic Cancer Patients, and one of only three survivors of the tests still living on Kiritimati. She pulled up a seat and looked at me:
Many, many died of cancer … And many women had babies that died within three months … I remember the coconut trees … when you drank [from the coconuts], you [were] poisoned.
Both Teeua’s parents and four of her eight siblings had died of cancer or unexplained conditions, she said. Her younger brother, Takieta, died of leukaemia at the age of two in November 1963 – less than a year after Operation Dominic ended. Her sister Teraabo, who discovered a tumour in her stomach shortly after the trials, was only able to have her stomach treated once she moved to the UK in 1981, by which time the tumour had turned malignant.
Teeua’s testimony pointed to the gendered impacts of the nuclear tests. She referred to the prevalence of menstrual problems and stillbirths, evidence of which can be inferred from the testimony of another nuclear survivor, Sui Kiritome, a fellow I-Kiribati who had arrived on Kiritimati in 1957 with her teacher husband. Sui has described how their second child, Rakieti, had “blood coming out of all the cavities of her body” at birth.
A rare military hospital record from 1958 – stored in the UK’s National Archives at Kew in London – also refers to the treatment of a civilian woman for ante-partum haemorrhage and stillbirth, though it is unclear whether this was a local woman or one of the soldier’s wives on the passenger ship HMT Dunera, which visited briefly to “boost morale” after Grapple X.
Members of the Kiritimati Association of Atomic Cancer Patients. Courtesy: Teeua Taukaro., CC BY-ND
Having re-established the Association of Atomic Cancer Patients in 2009, Teeua has continued much of the work that Ken McGinley, first chair of the British Nuclear Tests Veterans Association, did after its establishment in 1983. She has documented the names of all I-Kiribati people present during the tests, along with their spouses, children and other relatives. And she has listed the cancers and illnesses from which they have suffered.
In the absence of medical records at the island hospital, these handwritten notes are the closest thing on the atoll to epidemiological data about the tests. But according to Teeua, concerns about the health effects of the tests date back much longer, to 1965 when a labourer named Bwebwe spoke out about poisonous clouds. “Everyone thought he was crazy,” Teeua recalled.
But Bwebwe’s speculations were lent credibility by Sui Kiritome’s testimony, and by the facial scars she bore that were visible for all to see. In an interview with her daughter, Sui explained how she was only 24 when she started to lose her hair, and “burns developed on my face, scalp and parts of my shoulder”.
In a similar manner to claims made by British nuclear test veterans, Sui attributed her health problems to being rained on during Grapple Y – which may have been detonated closer to the atoll’s surface than the task force was prepared to admit.
When I asked Teeua why her campaigning association was only reformed in 2009, she explained it had been prompted by a visit from British nuclear test veterans who “told us that everyone [involved in the tests] has cancer – blood cancer”. They had been told this in the past but, she said, “we did not believe it. But after years … after our children [also] died of cancer, then we remembered what they told us.”
After some visiting researchers explained to Teeua and the community that the effects of the tests were “not good”, she concluded that “our kids died of cancer because of the tests … That’s why we start to combine together … the nuclear survivors, to talk about what they did to our kids”.
I found Teeua’s testimony deeply troubling: not only because of the suffering she and other families have been through, but in the way that veterans had returned to Kiritimati as civilians, raising concerns among locals that may have lain dormant or been forgotten. The suggestion that radiation was “in her blood” must have been deeply disturbing for Teeua and her community.
But I reminded myself that the veterans who came looking for answers in 2009 were also victims. They made the long journey seeking clues about their health problems, or a silver bullet to prove their government’s deception over the nuclear fallout.
As young men, they were unwittingly burdened with a lifetime of uncertainty – compounded by endless legal disputes with the Ministry of Defence or inconclusive health studies that jarred with their personal medical histories. And, like the islanders, some of these servicemen died young after experiencing agonising illnesses.
The scramble for the Pacific
My research on British nuclear imperialism also sheds light on how imperial and settler colonial perceptions of “nature” shaped how these nuclear tests were planned and operationalised.
British sites were selected on the basis of in-depth environmental research. When searching the site for Britain’s first atomic bomb (the Montebello Islands off the west coast of Australia), surveyors discovered 20 new species of insect, six new plants, and a species of legless lizard.
Monitoring of radioactive fallout from nuclear tests fed into the rise of ecosystem ecologies as an academic discipline. In the words of one environmental specialist on the US tests, it seemed that “destruction was the enabling condition for understanding life as interconnected”.
Since H-bombs would exceed the explosive yield deemed acceptable by Australia, Winston Churchill’s government in the mid-1950s had been forced to look for a new test site beyond Western and South Australia. British planners drew on a wealth of imperial knowledge and networks – but their proposal to use the Kermadec Islands, an archipelago 600 miles north-east of Auckland, was rejected by New Zealand on environmental grounds.
So, when Teeua and her family landed on Kiritimati in 1955, their journey was part of “the scramble for the Pacific”: a race between Britain and the US to lay claim to the sovereignty of Pacific atolls in light of their strategic significance for air and naval power.
The British government archives include some notable environmental “what ifs?” Had the US refused the UK’s selection of Kiritimati because of its own sovereignty claim, then it would have been probable, as Lennox-Boyd, Britain’s colonial secretary, admitted, that “the Antarctic region south of Australia might have to be used” for its rapidly expanding nuclear programme.
Instead, this extraordinary period in global history recently took me to a Victorian mansion in the Lancashire town of Burnley, where I interviewed Teeua’s younger sister, Teraabo, about her memories of the Kiritimati tests.
‘No longer angry’
Teraabo’s home felt like the antithesis of Teeua’s island abode 8,300 miles away: ordered instead of haphazard, private instead of communal, spacious instead of crowded. And our interview had a more detached, philosophical tone.
Teraabo Pollard with her father’s nuclear test veteran medal. Christopher R. Hill., CC BY-ND
Like her sister, Teraabo has worked to raise awareness about the legacy of the nuclear tests, including with the Christmas Island Appeal, an offshoot of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association that sought to publicise the extent of the waste left on Kiritimati from the nuclear test period.
The appeal succeeded in persuading Tony Blair’s UK government to tackle the remaining waste in Kiritimati – most of which was non-radiological, according to a 1998 environmental assessment. The island was “cleaned up” and remediated between 2004 and 2008, at a cost of around £5 million to the Ministry of Defence. Much of the waste was flown or shipped back to the UK, where 388 tonnes of low-grade radioactive material were deposited in a former salt mine at Port Clarence, near Middlesbrough.
Yet Teraabo’s views have evolved. She told me she is “no longer angry” about the tests, a stark contrast to her position 20 years ago, when she told British journalist Alan Rimmer how islanders had “led a simple life with disease virtually unknown. But after the tests, everything changed. I now realise the whole island was poisoned.”
Whereas the Teraabo of 2003 blamed “the British government for all this misery”, she has since become more reflective. In the context of the cold war and the nuclear arms race, she even told me she could understand the British rationale for selecting Kiritimati as a test site. This seemed a remarkable statement from a survivor who had lost so much.
Over the course of the interview, it became clear Teraabo had grown tired of being angry – and that she had felt “trapped” by the tragic figure she was meant to represent in the campaigns of veterans and disarmers. Each time Teraabo rehearsed the doom-laden script of radiation exposure, she admitted she was also suppressing the joy of her childhood memories.
A turning point for Teraabo seems to have come in 2007, when she last visited Kiritimati and met her sister Teeua. By this time, the atoll’s population was 4,000 – quite a leap from the 300 residents she grew up with. “It is no longer the island I remember,” she said.
The Kiritimati of Teraabo’s memory was neat and well-structured. The one she described encountering in 2007 was chaotic and unkempt. She had come to the realisation that the Kiritimati she had been campaigning for – the pristine, untouched atoll of her parents – had long since moved on, so she should move on with it. The sorrow caused by the test operations would not define her.
Radioactive colonialism
Not long after I left Kiritimati in June 2023, the global nuclear disarmament organisation Ican began researching the atoll ahead of a major global summit to discuss the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Descendants of Kiritimati’s nuclear test survivors were asked a series of questions, with those who provided the “right” answers being selected for a sponsored trip to UN headquarters in New York.
The chosen representatives included Teeua’s daughter, Taraem. I wondered if the survivors of Kiritimati are doomed to forever rehearse the stories of their nuclear past – a burden that Teeua and Teraabo have had to carry ever since they stood in awe of atomic and thermonuclear detonations more than 60 years ago.
They have had to deal with “radioactive colonialism” all their adult lives – the outside world demanding to see the imprint of radioactivity on their health and memories. But the sisters’ fondness for British order, despite all they have been through, prevails.
Their positive memories of Britain may in part reflect the elevated role of their father, Tekonau Tetoa – a posthumous recipient of the test veteran medal – within the British colonial system. During my visit, I happened upon an old photo of Tekonau, looking immaculate as he hangs off the side of a plantation truck in a crisp white shirt. Knowing Teeua did not possess a photo of her parents, I took a scan and raced to her house down the road.
“Do you recognise this man?” I asked, holding up my phone.
She flickered with recognition. “Is that my father?”
I nodded, and she shed a tear of joy.
Tekonau Tetoa, father of Teeua and Teraabo, hangs off the door of a coconut plantation truck in Kiritimati. Courtesy: John Bryden., CC BY-ND
Memories of Teeua and Teraabo’s father are preserved in the island landscape of their youth: pristine, regimented by the ostensible tidiness of colonial and military order.
But such order masked contamination: an unknown quantity that would only become evident years later in ill-health and environmental damage. It was not only the nuclear tests: from 1957 to 1964, the atoll was sprayed four times a week with DDT, a carcinogenic insecticide, as part of attempts to reduce insect-borne disease. In the words of one of the pilots: “I had many a wave from the rather fat Gilbo ladies sitting on their loos as I passed overhead, and gave them some spray for good measure!” British tidiness concealed a special brand of poison.
Today, the prospect of a meaningful response from the UK to the concerns raised by the islanders and servicemen alike seems slim. In October 2023, the UK and France followed North Korea and Russia in vetoing a Kiribati and Kazakhstan-proposed UN resolution on victim assistance and environmental remediation for people and places harmed by nuclear weapons use and testing.
Over in Kiritimati, meanwhile, Teeua still tends to a small plot where Prince Philip planted a commemorative tree in April 1959, shortly after the British-led nuclear tests had ended. It is rumoured he did not drink from the atoll’s water while he was there.
To hear about new Insights articles, join the hundreds of thousands of people who value The Conversation’s evidence-based news. Subscribe to our newsletter.
Christopher Hill receives funding from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, UK Cabinet Office. The research for this article was also supported by funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), UKRI. The author wishes to thank the following for their support with this article: Fiona Bowler, Ian Brailsford, Joshua Bushen, John Bryden, Jon Hogg, Brian Jones, Rens van Munster, Wesley Perriman, Maere Tekanene, Michael Walsh, Rotee Walsh and Derek Woolf. Sincere thanks to Teeua Tekonau and Teraabo Pollard for sharing their family stories.
The 2024 Silk Road Rediscovery Tour of Beijing kicked off in the capital city of China on the evening of October 21. The event, themed “Explore a Modernized City of Opportunities”, welcomed prominent international influencers from Albania, Brazil, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Türkiye, the United States, and Uzbekistan, to embark on a journey of discovery in Beijing.
Foreign influencers and other attendees launching the event together Since 2016, ten consecutive sessions of the Silk Road Rediscovery Tour of Beijing have been held, participated by a total of 125 international influencers from 51 Belt and Road partner countries so far.
Mukhammad Obidov, Chief Editor of Uzbekistan National News Agency and Chairman of the Fergana Journalists’ Association, delivered a speech as the representative of all the participating influencers. Mukhammad Obidov, Chief Editor of Uzbekistan National News Agency and Chairman of the Fergana Journalists’ Association, spoke of the increasing interest of Uzbek people towards their neighboring countries, especially China, and suggested creating an alliance of Central Asian and Chinese journalists as well as a unified information platform to help deepen understanding among the members of this proposed alliance.
Kanat Sakhariyanov, Director of Kazakhstan’s Atameken TV, delivered a speech. Kanat Sakhariyanov, Director of Kazakhstan’s Atameken TV, said in his speech that Beijing is a city marked by the convergence of ancient history and cutting-edge technologies, and that the residents of Beijing are good at living with each other in harmony through tolerance and mutual respect. Since 2019, Atameken TV has aired more than 20 documentaries about China along with regular news programs such as “On the Silk Road” and “China News”, as part of efforts to strengthen understanding between the two countries.
Lucas Eleuterio Fernandes, a Brazilian influencer, delivered a speech. Lucas Eleuterio Fernandes, a journalist and presenter of TV Globo and a social media influencer from Brazil, is also a popular social media influencer with 2.1 million followers on Instagram. He began his world tour from China in 2010 and returned here 14 years later to find “astounding Chinese development and transformation”. According to Fernandes, “Many people still have misconceptions about this country, but I want to say that China is a place everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.” This year’s Silk Road Rediscovery Tour of Beijing will run from October 21 to 25, and the participating influencers will experience Beijing’s unique urban charm blending ancient heritage and modern achievements from multiple angles and through a number of landmarks, including the three major cultural venues in Beijing Municipal Administrative Center, ZGC E-Town International Robot Industrial Park, GTVerse Center, the Palace Museum, the Olympic Tower, the No. 3 Blast Furnace and the Big Air Shougang in Shougang Park, etc.
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Leading Engineer, Assistant Professor of the Department of Geotechnics, Scientific Secretary of the Conference Philipp Kalach, Anatoly Osokin, Rashid Mangushev, Evgeny Rybnov, Askar Zhusupbekov, Alexander Vikhrov
On October 23, the National (All-Russian) Scientific and Technical Conference with international participation “Modern Methods of Design, Underground Construction and Reconstruction of Foundations and Bases” opened at SPbGASU.
Welcoming the participants, Rector of SPbGASU Evgeny Rybnov emphasized that since 2003, holding conferences on geotechnics at our university has become a tradition. During this period, 17 all-Russian and international conferences have been held, which invariably arouse the interest of specialists in the field of mechanics and soils, foundations, foundations and engineering geology.
“The large number of participants confirms the importance of geotechnics as the most important area of construction science and serves as a tribute to the scientific traditions and achievements of the Department of Geotechnics of St. Petersburg State University of Civil Engineering, founded in 1934. Over the years, famous scientists in our country and abroad, honored scientists of the RSFSR, professors Tsytovich, Vasiliev, Maslov, Dalmatov, Sotnikov, Mangushev, worked on it. In the last two years, the department has been headed by Honored Builder of Russia, laureate of awards from the Government of Russia and St. Petersburg, Candidate of Technical Sciences Anatoly Ivanovich Osokin. Since its formation, the department has been one of the leading departments of our university, which has trained many engineers, candidates and doctors of technical sciences. The department has created and is successfully developing a scientific school for the development of current issues in construction geotechnics. First of all, this is research on improving foundation construction on weak and highly compressible soils, including pile foundations and foundations for high-rise buildings, research on the development of deformations of structures and their prediction, research on frozen and thawing soils and their use as foundations for structures. The department is also conducting research on improving methods for constructing underground structures, consolidating foundation soils and strengthening the foundations of buildings during their reconstruction, and developing numerical methods for calculating the foundations of underground structures. Over the past 15 years, employees of the department have published numerous textbooks and teaching aids, monographs, reference books on geotechnics, which have become reference books for engineers and teachers of universities in Russia, the CIS countries and the Far Abroad,” said Evgeniy Rybnov.
He specified that the conference will provide an opportunity for geotechnical specialists to exchange the latest scientific achievements, establish new useful contacts, and also get acquainted with historical and recently built unique objects of St. Petersburg.
As reported by the corresponding member of RAASN, the head of the scientific school, the director of the Scientific and Production-Consulting Center of Geotechnology of SPbGASU, professor Rashid Mangushev, over the past 20 years the university and the department of geotechnics have regularly held such conferences. This year the conference is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the department. It is attended by specialists from 23 cities and 13 countries, including the Republic of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia. More than 110 reports will be heard.
The President of the Russian Society for Soil Mechanics, Geotechnics and Foundation Engineering, Vyacheslav Ilyichev, called St. Petersburg a monument to geotechnics.
“To build such a city now, we would need surveys, soil research methods, and computer programs. That didn’t exist back then, but the city was built: for centuries and beautifully. Geotechnics has been developing for many years, and the leading universities of St. Petersburg, where outstanding scientific schools have been created and highly qualified specialists are trained, play a major role in this. Domestic science has always been the basis of our country’s technological independence. And we continue to serve as this basis,” noted Vyacheslav Ilyichev.
A member of the Council of the National Association of Surveyors and Designers (NOPRIZ), President of the Association of SRO “Baltic Association of Designers”, a graduate of LISI (now SPbGASU), who previously held the positions of dean, vice-rector of our university, Alexander Vikhrov confirmed that decades ago, young specialists really did not have any tools except a slide rule. But science developed, and before his eyes such tools appeared and improved
“90 years – is it a lot or a little? For history – a particle. Despite the solid anniversary, the department is only at the beginning of its development, it keeps up with the times and continues to make a great contribution to solving modern problems of the industry, city, country, world,” says Alexander Vikhrov.
SPbGASU and, in particular, the Department of Geotechnics have been interacting with the Committee for State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments (KGIOP) of St. Petersburg for many years, the acting chairman of the committee, Alexey Mikhailov, emphasized in his welcoming address. He noted the high level of involvement of students and postgraduates in current urban issues in the field of urban development and adaptation of cultural heritage sites to modern use.
“Our city is quite young, but it contains almost 10% of all historical and cultural monuments of the country. Along with preserving the cultural heritage and historical environment, we must develop the infrastructure of the metropolis for the comfortable life of citizens and tourists. To successfully solve this problem, we need to be guided by modern scientific research in the field of soil mechanics and geotechnics, exchange experience in the design, construction and reconstruction of complex geotechnical objects in various engineering and geological conditions,” said Alexey Mikhailov.
The President of the Kazakhstan Geotechnical Association, Honorary Doctor of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, and graduate of the department, Askar Zhusupbekov, confirmed that the Department of Geotechnics has always been famous for its outstanding world-class scientists and talented students.
“Continuing the traditions, the department is developing. Last year, the Kazakhstan Geotechnical Association held a large-scale international scientific and technical conference, which was attended by 982 people from 88 countries. And I would like to proudly note that the most representative and largest delegation was from your university. SPbGASU demonstrates high scientific achievements and knows how to organize effective scientific and practical platforms within its walls, which include the current conference,” concluded Askar Zhusupbekov.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
