2021 e-camca forum
Due to the continuing global health concerns and travel restrictions surrounding COVID-19, the annual CAMCA Regional Forum was held virtually over June 21st-25th with a robust lineup of virtual events.
Find recordings of all the Forum sessions at the CAMCA Forum YouTube page.
Panel sessions
Monday, June 21
Wednesday, June 23
Tuesday, June 22
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Session Description:
In spite of their rich common heritage and deep history of cooperation, there is less regional cooperation and coordination among CAMCA countries today than in any other world region. With notable exceptions, a “soft autarky” prevails. Following the collapse of the USSR, centrifugal forces led to armed conflict, mutual isolation of the new regional states, and their manipulation by outside powers. By contrast, rising centripetal forces have led to innovative projects in transport, trade, cooperation on many pressing issues, and cordial inter-governmental relations at the presidential level. That the countries of Central Asia were able to join forces to rid their region of nuclear arms suggests the potential of this current. Our experts will ask whether cooperation and coordination among the CAMCA countries has reached its natural limit, or if it can advance further and lead to region-wide coordinating bodies to foster more extensive interaction among sovereign states?
Tuesday, June 22
Wednesday, June 23
Tuesday, June 22
Session Description:
Afghanistan is an organic part of Central Asia and a critical strategic lynchpin. The United States is removing its forces there amidst dire warnings from virtually all observers and allies about what this will mean − not just for the Afghan economy, its recent political and social progress, and for human rights there − but for Afghanistan's very existence as a viable state. Beyond this, if America continues to see Afghanistan as a stand-alone issue, unattached to the fate of Central and South Asia, its strategic engagement with the region as a whole may lose its geopolitical foundation. What would this mean for the individual countries of Central Asia, and what kinds of strategic choices will they now likely entertain? Will it strengthen or weaken prospects of regional coordination and cooperation? The American presence has had a restraining effect on other powers in the region—China. India, Pakistan. Russia, and Iran. How will they now respond to the changed realities? And, finally, what might America’s role be in the rest of Central Asia and the Caucasus after the Afghan withdrawal?
Wednesday, June 23
Wednesday, June 23
Wednesday, June 23
Session Description:
As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, what changes are to be expected with regards to the investment outlook for the CAMCA region? How are the CAMCA countries adapting to create attractive climates for foreign investors? Which of the CAMCA countries are best positioned to attract more foreign investment? This panel will present the 2021 Global Investment Opportunities Index for the CAMCA region as well as discuss the opportunities and impediments − real and imaginary − to foreign investments, highlighting the perspectives of both current investors in the region and those CAMCA nationals who are working to attract external investment to their countries.
Thursday, June 24
Thursday, June 24
Wednesday, June 23
Session Description:
Despite many challenges, the economies of CAMCA countries grew significantly in the decades preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. This growth was stimulated by natural resources and large scale government and private sector investments, with several ambitious leaders and a rising bevy of small and medium size companies driving the process. Now, in the dawning post-COVID era, the region’s rising entrepreneurial class is bound to play an increasingly important role in the economic development of their countries. This panel will feature some notable entrepreneurs who have launched and nurtured successful businesses all across the CAMCA region. Among the questions they will address will be: What will facilitate the process of private sector growth? What will be the major impediments? How can the personal experience of successful regional entrepreneurs guide and inspire others?
Friday, June 25
Thursday, June 24
Friday, June 25
Session Description:
The future of CAMCA countries and the region as whole will be shaped significantly by the level and quality of education there. Those countries that transform their educational systems that will develop modern and reliable skills will advance, even in the face of withering competition from elsewhere. Those that fail to do so will drop behind. This session will discuss how innovation in education can foster and shape social, economic, and institutional modernization and growth. Should educational reform begin at the top or the bottom of educational systems? How can modern education both reward talent and satisfy demands for equity? Can existing educational institutions evolve fast enough to provide transforming societies with leaders and workers? Can legislation on education change fast enough to meet national demand?
2021 CAMCA Virtual Business expo
Forum Organizers
