Astana Economic Forum kicks off

The Astana Economic Forum titled 'New Economic Reality: diversification, innovation and knowledge economy' has started in the capital of Kazakhstan today. It will last two days.

The official website notes that world leaders who committed global breakthrough in business, science and innovation have confirmed their participation in the forum. 

Today, the Kazakhstan Investment Summit, Silk Road Countries' Forum and the session devoted to the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Development Programme will be held within the framework of the forum activities. 

A plenary session attended by the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, the director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, and the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Suma Chakrabarti, will be held at the second day of the forum.

The founder of the AliBaba Group Jack Ma, the Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, US economist Daron Acemoglu, a former economic adviser to President Ronald Reagan, Arthur Laffer, will also take part in the forum.