Business programme

The direct involvement of extra-regional states in the acute crisis in Europe is the most obvious manifestation of the globalization crisis. However, its causes are much broader and encompass the escalating geopolitical rivalry among major powers, the vulnerability of transportation and financial logistics in dire circumstances, and the inability of international institutions, particularly the WTO, to effectively respond to the crisis. It is evident that when global institutions fail to deliver, regional structures assume prominence. This process is objective as it reflects the transition to a multipolar world order. Nevertheless, economic growth cannot be achieved if regional blocs are isolated themselves. Consequently, connectivity is emerging as an integral component of economic multipolarity. The Eurasian Economic Union is one of the most open regional economic unions for international trade. Russia managed to successfully overcome the transportation and logistics challenges brought about by the 2020-2021 epidemic only through mutual assistance and cooperation with international partners. Hence, it is especially important for Russia to transition to new formats of trade and political interaction involving the EAEU, China, India, Iran, African and Gulf states, while leveraging the capabilities of organizations such as the SCO, BRICS and ASEAN. Technological sovereignty should not lead to technological isolation. How can this be achieved? What should the role of industry initiatives be? Who can assume the position of technology leader? What has been accomplished thus far, and what further actions are required to transition trade to national currencies? What potential role can digital currencies play? Which alternative settlement systems could serve as viable solutions for international settlements? Which transport routes should be prioritized for expansion? How will digitalization facilitate this process? The prevalence of unilateral discriminatory measures that exceed the boundaries set by WTO rules is becoming more and more common in trade policy practice. Should the regulations outlined in trade agreements be revised?

Moderator
Andrey Slepnev, Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission

Andrey Slepnev

Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission

Born September 13, 1969 in Bor, Nizhny Novgorod Region.
2005–2007: Head of the Presidential Experts’ Directorate
2007–2009: Deputy Minister of Agriculture
2009–2011: Member of the Trade Panel (Minister) of the Eurasian Economic Commission
February 26 – July, 2016: Assistant to the Prime Minister
July 5, 2016: appointed Deputy Head of the Government’s Executive Office and Director of the Projects Department of the Government of the Russian Federation. From May 2018 to February 2020, he was the CEO of JSC Russian Export Center. On March 2 2020 Andrey Slepnev took office as a member of the Board (Minister) for Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Panellists
Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) (online)
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) (online)
Alexey Likhachev, Director General, State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM
Dmitry Murev, General Director, RZD Logistics
Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
Oleg Solntsev, Head of Monetary Policy Analysis, Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-term Forecasting
Liu Xuesong, Plenipotentiary Minister, Embassy of the People`s Republic of China in the Russian Federation

Olga Algayerova

Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

On 13 April 2017, the Secretary-General appointed Ms Olga Algayerova of Slovakia as the
next Executive Secretary of the UNECE. She took office on 1 June 2017.
Ms. Algayerova brings to the position a combination of leadership and diplomatic skills with
deep knowledge of the region with its challenges and opportunities and a strong focus on
building and nurturing partnerships among key stakeholders with the United Nations. Prior
to her appointment, she served as Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the International
Organizations in Vienna, Austria (since 2012). She was previously President, Slovak
Millennium Development Goals (2010-2012); State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(2006-2010) and Corporate Export Manager, Zentiva International, a.s. (2004-2006).
Born in 1959, Ms. Algayerova holds a Master in Contemporary Diplomacy from Malta
University, a Master in Business Administration from The Open University Business School,
United Kingdom and a Dipl. in Engineer of Economy from the University of Economics
Business Faculty, Bratislava.

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana was appointed Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on 13 September 2018. Prior to joining ESCAP, Ms. Alisjahbana was Professor of Economics at Universitas Padjadjaran in Bandung, Indonesia, a position she assumed in 2005. She joined Universitas Padjadjaran as a lecturer in 1988. Since 2016, she has served as Director for the Center for Sustainable Development Goals Studies at Universitas Padjadjaran and Vice Chair of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences.
She also serves on the Governing Board of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and member of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (Akademi Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia - AIPI), the Forum of Statistics Community (Forum Masyarakat Statistik or Advisory Council of the Indonesian Statistics), the International Advisory Board of the Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies and Council Member of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI).
From 2009 to 2014, she was Minister of National Development Planning and the Head of the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS), Indonesia. She served as Co-chair of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation from 2012 to 2014. From 2009 to 2014, she was Alternate Governor of the World Bank and Alternate Governor of the Asian Development Bank representing the government of Indonesia. In 2016, she was a member of the High Level Independent Team of Advisors to support the ECOSOC Dialogue on the longer term positioning of the United Nations Development System in the context of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.
Ms. Alisjahbana has been involved in various research projects and consultancies to the United Nations University/Institute for Advanced Study in Tokyo, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the European Commission, and the International Labor Organization (ILO).
Ms. Alisjahbana earned her Bachelor degree in Economics and Development Studies from Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia, a Master degree in Economics from Northwestern University, USA and a Ph.D. in Economics from University of Washington, USA. She was awarded the Mahaputra Adipradana Order (Bintang Mahaputra Adipradana) from the Republic of Indonesia, honorary brevet from the Indonesian Navy and honorary flight wing from the Indonesian Air Force.

Alexey Likhachev

Director General, State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM

Alexey Likhachev is Director General of ROSATOM. He assumed office in October 2016. Mr. Likhachev has since been responsible for overseeing the entire spectrum of the state corporation’s activities.
Before joining ROSATOM, Mr. Likhachev worked in the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, where he held a wide variety of leadership positions. He joined the ministry in 2007. He worked as an advisor to the Minister of Economic Development until 2008, in 2010 he was appointed Deputy Minister, and in February 2015 he was promoted to the position of First Deputy Minister of Economic Development.
Throughout his career, Mr. Likhachev held senior positions in other governmental bodies and public organizations as well. He was a member of the State Duma (the lower house of Russia’s parliamentary body), serving as Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Economic Policy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (2000-2007). Previously, he worked as managing director of Social Industrial Insurance Company ‘Aval’ in Nizhniy Novgorod (1992-2000).
Mr. Likhachev graduated from Gorky State University and started his career as an engineer in the Gorky Research Institute of Instrumentation (1985-1987). In 1998 he graduated from the Economic Faculty of Nizhniy Novgorod State University with a Ph.D. in economics.

Dmitry Murev

General Director, RZD Logistics

Alexey Overchuk

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation

Born 9 December 1964 in Korostyshev, Zhitomir Region, Ukraine.

1986: Graduated from the Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy with a degree in Economic Cybernetics. PHD in Economics.

1986–1993: Senior laboratory technician at the Economic Cybernetics Department, junior research fellow, research fellow, senior research fellow at the laboratory for economic mechanism improvement at the Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy.

1993–1998: Chief specialist, deputy head of the International Cooperation Department of the Russian State Committee on Land Resources and Land Management.

April–July 1998: Head of the Department of State Registration of Real Estate Rights at the Russian State Land Committee.

July–December 1998: Head of the Information and Analysis Department at the Russian Ministry of Land Policy, Construction, Housing and Utilities.

1998–1999: Head of the Information and Analysis Department at the Russian State Land Committee.

1999–2000: Head of the Information and Analysis Department at the Russian Land Policy Committee.

August 2000: Appointed deputy head of the Russian Federal Cadastre Service.

April 2004: Acting deputy head, July 2004: Deputy head of the Federal Real Estate Cadastre Agency.

2007–2008: Deputy head of the Federal Agency on Special Economic Zones Management.

2008–2010: Held senior positions at UFG Asset Management Group.

2010: Advisor to the head of the Federal Taxation Service.

2011: Appointed deputy head of the Federal Taxation Service.

21 January 2020: Appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Russia by a Presidential Executive Order.

Oleg Solntsev

Head of Monetary Policy Analysis, Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-term Forecasting

Liu Xuesong

Plenipotentiary Minister, Embassy of the People`s Republic of China in the Russian Federation