NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2019 / The following is a statement by Astana Club: Eurasia's growth and development are believed to be the key priorities for the continent in 2020. What should we expect from 2020? How turbulent will the forthcoming year be for everyone? Taking into consideration the number of growing opportunities, we still need to consider certain factors that impede and hinder the prosperity of the region.
In 2019 the roundtable discussions at Astana Club have revolved around the main title "Greater Eurasia: on the way to a new architecture of global cooperation" and outlined top challenges that the continent is to deal with in 2020. The transformation of the region into a single supranational organization requires a new approach to the world order, as previous rules and institutions keep degrading and eroding.
Kazakhstan plays a major role in mediating disputes in the Eurasian region. It is highly responsive to fluctuations in global events and in developing a balanced foreign policy.
"Explicit risk assessment is the key to ensuring the stable and predictable development in the context of growing tension in the world. And every year, as part of the work on the rating, we try to increase its research capability and practical applicability," said Yerzhan Saltybaev, director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP).
40 highly regarded experts and respected academics have combined their efforts in outlining the main difficulties and the supercontinent will face in 2020. IWEP team conducted in-depth interviews with top analysts such as in economics and security issues from the United States, Europe, U.K., China, Russia, India, Pakistan, as well as the heads of leading international think tanks (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Russian International Affairs Council , etc.) and a number of international organizations (UN, The World Bank, EBRD).
"We expanded the number of respondents presenting their own view of the problems we have been researching. Last year there were about 1000 respondents from 60 countries, this year the number has increased to more than 1100 from 70 countries," stated Saltybaev.
Few things to expect from 2020?
One of the main concerns will be intensified power rivalries for leadership over new generation technologies in 2020.
Techno-collusion will further intensify cyber collisions jeopardizing cyber security and previous progress made in the field. The nature and scale of cyberattacks can approach full-fledged military sabotage. Advancement of hacking technologies does not facilitate the digitization of economy. In 2020, countries should coordinate their efforts in cyberspace and facilitate the creation of common framework for cyber-cooperation and development of cyber-defense mechanisms.
The sweeping challenges of climate change are one of the biggest risks that Eurasia and the world will face in 2020. Current "do-nothing" approach will only increase the frequency and scope of climate crises, hindering the economic stability of countries and life standards around the world.
Climate change is expected to get even more serious in the next decade. 2020 should see more green measures introduced by governments and NGOs, which should make an attempt to transitioning to green economies and take an affirmative stance on introducing sustainability measures in order to tackle the problem, especially in light of uncontrolled nuclear proliferation.
The Astana 2020 vision
The 2020 vision of Astana Club should constitute the following issues that require attention from the international community including but not limited to:
increase in the number and scale of abnormal climatic phenomenon;
the crisis of international institutions such as the UN, WTO and G20 in resolving social and economic challenges;
disintegration trends in Europe;
new surge in uncontrolled migration;
price shocks in commodity markets, plummeting currencies, and economic recession;
escalation of cyber threats and large-scale attacks on critical infrastructure;
In 2020 the Eurasian countries should remain highly susceptible to negative development trends. Countries should be ready to overcome challenges arising from international disputes, global warming and climate change. International organizations should find the way to re-enforcing their competences and positions in solving such disputes.
The main pattern emerging is that international relations are becoming more and more dominated by force, while the ability of international organizations to influence the behavior of strong players is sharply reduced.
Every country should be prepared for an increase of national competitiveness, while giving deserved attention to overcoming challenges arising from cyber-defense, economic tensions, and climate change issues.
About Astana Club
Today, we can proclaim that Astana Club has turned into a truly global platform within a relatively short time since its establishment in 2015. The platform has garnered substantial international interest. The Club unites Eurasia's key stakeholders in addressing the most critical and complex issues of our time.
Once again, Kazakhstan proves itself an independent and neutral platform for dialogue, open to every member of the international community, including mutual rivals and competitors. In this way, Astana Club acts as a vivid embodiment of Kazakhstan's multi-vector foreign policy. Read more on Wikipedia about Astana Club.
More information:
Astana Times
astanaclub@iwep.kz
SOURCE: Astana Club
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