ST. PETERSBURG, April 9. /TASS/. Roscongress Foundation has published the architecture of the business program for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which will take place on June 18-21. This year’s theme is "Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World", reflecting major shifts in international cooperation and the role of universal values in enabling sustainable economic development, according to a statement released on the forum’s website.
"The business program has been structured around four key thematic pillars, each revealing a different dimension of global and national transformation," the statement reads. The central pillar, "Development Economics: Ensuring Growth," reflects the logic of new economic thinking. It covers two major areas: "The Global Economy: A New Platform for Global Growth" and "The Russian Economy: A New Level of Growth." The "Technology: Pursuing Leadership" pillar will focus on key directions in technological development from AI and automation to independence in microelectronics, new materials, energy, and cybersecurity. The third pillar, "The Living Environment," will address information sovereignty, cultural identity, social cohesion, and international humanitarian cooperation. The fourth pillar, "The Individual in a New World," will focus on quality of life, health, education, family well-being, urban development, and personal fulfilment.
The world is experiencing tectonic shifts now, with the economic map, the systems of economic activity and social relations in a number of countries and even intergovernmental blocs changing, Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee, said. "The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is becoming more than just a space for dialogue and the generation of ideas and solutions. It is turning into a platform where new meanings and even new practices emerge that can shape the contours of the future. It is important not only to observe these changes, but to drive them and set their direction. And all of this must happen through a format of meaningful, trust-based and collaborative dialogue," he was quoted as saying.
The SPIEF program will include sector-specific and international events such as the SCO and BRICS Business Forums, the B20 Forum, the SME Forum, the Creative Industries Forum, and the ‘Ensuring Drug Security’ Russian Pharmaceutical Forum. Business dialogues with representatives from China, India, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, ASEAN, the CIS, and the EAEU will be held.
This year’s SPIEF will also host the General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), as well as the Day of the Future International Youth Economic Forum.