Distinguished and influential guests, including Heads of State and global leaders, have been announced today as speakers at the Astana International Forum, a major international conference, which will take place on June 8-9, 2023, in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. The high-level event will be held under the overarching theme: "Tackling challenges through dialogue: towards cooperation, development & progress." Hosted by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Forum will bring together government leaders, international organizations, CEOs of major multinational companies, and renowned international experts to shape the conversations that matter to the world today and identify actionable solutions to pressing global challenges.

Distinguished guests include:

• His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar
• His Excellency Sadyr Zhaparov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic
• Her Excellency Željka Cvijanović, Chairwoman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
• Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• Armida Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
• Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• Miroslav Jenča, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas at the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA)
• Ivana Živković, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations
• Helga Schmid, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
• Margareta Cederfelt, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
• Zhang Ming, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
• Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
• Masatsugu Asakawa, President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• His Excellency Suhail Mohammed Faraj Al Mazroui, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates
• Janusz Wojciechowski, European Commissioner for Agriculture
• His Excellency Dr Mulatu Teshome, former President of Ethiopia
• His Excellency Dr Lassina Zerbo, former Prime Minister of Burkina Faso
• Thomas Greminger, Swiss diplomat and former Secretary-General of the OSCE
• Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman of S&P Global
• Rae Kwon Chung, Director of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, and former Ambassador for Climate Change of the Republic of Korea.

With over 1,000 participants and guests from around the world, the Forum will bring the international community together to consider models of interstate cooperation and to foster new global partnerships. Over two days, the Forum invites all participants to contribute to finding new ways to tackle challenges in four key dimensions:

• - Foreign policy & international security;
• - International development & sustainability;
• - Energy & climate change;
• - Economy & finance.

These pillars are at the heart of the program, which includes over 40 panel sessions, armchair discussions, and other side events. The United Nations and CNN have been announced as strategic partners of the Forum. The UN has supported the event by providing high-level speakers and coordinating the participation of several UN agencies. As a highly respected global news channel, CNN’s role as strategic media partner will add extra weight to the Forum. The plenary session will be moderated by CNN anchor Richard Quest. Organized by the Government of Kazakhstan, the Forum will take place at the Congress Centre of the EXPO Business District in Astana, the country's landmark exhibition complex.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP