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St. Petersburg Economic Forum
St. Petersburg Economic Forum
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is one of the main annual events in the field of economics and business. Held under the patronage and with the participation of the President of the Russian Federation. The unofficial name is “Russian Davos”.
HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT
The event was first held in 1997, then it was called the St. Petersburg Economic Forum (PEF), and its organizers were the Federation Council of the Russian Federation and the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS. The first forum was devoted to the consideration of the economic problems of Russia and the CIS countries; it was attended by more than 1.5 thousand participants from 50 countries of the world, 650 investment projects were presented.
At the II Forum in June 1998, more than 700 projects were presented, 52 investment contracts worth over $ 2.5 billion were signed.
The audience of the forums grew every year, as did the number of contracts being concluded. Until 2005, the venue for the forums was the Tavrichesky Palace – the headquarters of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, then the event was moved to the territory of the largest exhibition center in St. Petersburg. And in 2006, the PEF audience was expanded with live broadcasts of the plenary sessions on the Internet.
In 2007, the St. Petersburg Forum received international status and was renamed into SPIEF. At the XIII Forum, held in June 2009, the main attention was paid to the prospects for the development of relations between Russia and the countries of the Arab world.
A record number of agreements were signed at XXIII SPIEF in 2019, including those that do not constitute trade secrets – 650 agreements totaling 3.1 trillion rubles. This is half a trillion more than a year earlier.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was canceled.
Over the past years, the forum has become one of the world’s leading platforms for communication between representatives of the business community and discussion of key economic issues facing Russia, emerging markets and the world as a whole.
Since 2016, the main SPIEF events have been held in the modern Expo forum convention and exhibition center, built in accordance with the standards of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI).
SPIEF TOPICS AND EVENTS
Within the framework of the program of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, several dozen different events are annually held – discussion sessions, briefings, teleconferences, demonstration events and exhibitions, presentations, meetings of representatives of business communities.
Over the years, the following topics were raised and considered at SPIEF events: Problems of ecology, social policy and culture, Innovative development for the benefit of people, Challenges of globalization and competitive advantages of developing countries, Competitive Eurasia, Prospects of the global economy, etc.
The Roscongress Foundation holds a series of Russian and foreign events, including the cycle “Regions of Russia: New Areas of Growth” (jointly with the Russian Export Center and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives), as well as visiting sessions of the SPIEF aimed at maintaining continuous cooperation between Russian and foreign officials. individuals, business and academia.
SPEAKERS AND PARTICIPANTS
Traditionally, among the guests and participants of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum are heads of state and government, top officials of influential international organizations. Over the years, among them were: Presidents of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Ministers of the Russian Federation Sergey Kirienko, Sergey Stepashin, Mikhail Kasyanov, Mikhail Fradkov, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharian, President Of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, Presidents of Finland Tarja Halonen and Sauli Niiniste, Presidents of France Nicolas Sarkozy and Emmanuel Macron, President of the People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao, President of Guinea Alfa Conde, President of Moldova Igor Dodon, President of South Ossetia Anatoly Bibilov, President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Michelle Camdessus, Director of the World Trade Organization ei Michael Moore, UN Secretary General António Guterres, OPEC head Mohammad Barkindo and many others.
SPIEF-2021
The dates for the XXIV St. Petersburg International Economic Forum are set on June 2-5, 2021. The main theme is “Together again. Economics of the New Reality ”. Tracks of the business program will traditionally be devoted to issues of the global and Russian economy, social issues and technology development. One of the key topics will be the support and implementation of investment projects.
The main topics of discussion were named as follows: “Uniting efforts for the sake of development” – sessions devoted to the issues of cooperation in the international arena, transformation of various industries in the post-like period, as well as the development of investment projects. In particular, the participants of the session “Business in a Post-Pandemic World: Responsible Investing in the Future” will discuss how the business strategies of Russian and international companies and the economy in general have changed, and how business is revising its investment strategies and social programs.
National Development Goals: From Objectives to Results. Discussion on this topic covers a wide range of issues of the development of the Russian economy and its transformation under new conditions. The program includes sessions “Russian economy: from the anti-crisis agenda to increasing the long-term potential of economic development”, “Formation of a circular economy in Russia. How will the environmental agenda change production and consumption? “,” System-forming industries: investment attractiveness and export potential “,” Combating counterfeit as a point of economic growth “,” Achieving the national goal 78+: responding to the challenges of the pandemic “and others.
“Man in a new reality. Responding to global challenges ”. It will touch upon the issues of interaction between the state, business and NGOs in solving socio-cultural problems, the development of creative industries, cultural codes of a new reality and other topics. The visiting lounge of the Eurasian Women’s Forum “Women in Creative Industries” will be dedicated to the role of women in business.
“Technologies expanding horizons” is a discussion, among other things, of the development of technologies in medicine, e-commerce, the use of artificial intelligence in business and art, and cybersecurity.
The presentation of the results of the National Rating of the Investment Climate in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation will traditionally take place on the sidelines of the SPIEF. During its existence, the National Rating has proven its effectiveness in assessing the efforts of the authorities at all levels to improve the business environment, and its results stimulate competition in the fight for investment at the regional level.
This year’s SPIEF program includes a meeting of the Arctic Economic Council, at which it is planned to present the priorities of the Russian side and discuss the main areas of cooperation during the Russian presidency of the nuclear power plant.
SPIEF 2021 will be organized with strict adherence to safety measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection, which have been carefully worked out by the Organizing Committee, taking into account the requirements of WHO. The organizers promise to create within the SPIEF all conditions for productive work, establishment and development of business contacts, opportunities to take part in rich cultural and sports programs.
The full business program is published on the official website of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
