Ashraf Ghani on economic integration in Asia at Kapuscinski lecture in Bonn, 13.03.2012

Bonn, Germany – 13 March, 2012 – Ashraf Ghani, former finance minister of Afghanistan and one of the most influential policy thinkers will deliver a lecture “Grasping Asian Economic Integration – the 21st Century Silk Road”, hosted by the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes and the University of Bonn, Date: 13.03.2012.

Interview with Ashraf Ghani for "Kapuscinski development lectures"

Dr. Ashraf Ghani, Chairman of the Institute for State Effectiveness, was named as among the most influential global thinkers for his work on fragile states. As Adviser to the UN Secretary General he advised on the Bonn Agreement for Afghanistan, and then as Afghanistan's Finance Minister between 2002-2004 he is credited with a series of successful reforms in Afghanistan, including reform of the treasury, customs, budget and the currency. He prepared Afghanistan's first National Development Framework and Securing Afghanistan's Future, a $28bn reconstruction program for the country. In 2010, he developed and facilitated the successful Kabul Conference and Process to build internal consensus and external alignment on priorities in Afghanistan. Dr. Ghani was named best finance minister in Asia by the Emerging Markets in 2003.

Asia as a concept is in tension with the unfolding of the continent as an emerging economic force. 500 years of turmoil have been enacted on the Asian setting and, today, Asia remains the setting of a series of conflicts. Simultaneously, a different Asia is taking shape. In the last 4 years, intra-Asian trade has exceeded Asian trade with Europe and North America. The transformations in China, India, North and East Asia, the Gulf, and Turkey are shaping and changing the character and dimensions of the global economy. Also discussed will be Kapuściński, a master narrator who captured some of the most critical moments of Asian antiquity as well as its recent past. In this talk, Ashraf Ghani explores the reshaping of the Asian economy through the lens of the 21st century Silk Road as both a metaphor and transformative infrastructure. He will also explore the thesis of the end of the long Asian civil war.

The event is part of the "Kapuscinski development lectures" initiative of the European Commission, the United Nations Development Programme. Experts from around the world deliver lectures on development and development cooperation at universities and think-tanks across the European Union. The series “Kapuscinski Lectures” is named for Ryszard Kapuscinski, a Polish reporter and writer who covered developing countries. The lecture in Bonn is hosted by the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) in partnership with the Center for Development Research (ZEF).

Date: 13.03.2012, 17:00-19:00

Venue: Haus der Geschichte, Museumsmeile, Willy-Brandt-Allee 14, 53113 Bonn. Directions: http://www.hdg.de/bonn/besucherinformation/anfahrt/

Registration: places are limited. To register we kindly ask you to send an email to events@eadi.org stating your name and position by March 8.

>> Click here for the invitation and agenda

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