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Location: Cedar Hall, HQ1-1-660
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OVERVIEW
Conflict represents a persistent challenge in the Middle East and Central Asia (ME&CA), leading to significant human suffering and long-term economic scarring. Implementing effective economic policies during and in the aftermath of conflict presents formidable challenges for policymakers. Such conflicts often result in large economic dislocations characterized by reduced growth and employment, elevated inflation, fiscal and external imbalances, as well as financial instability. Recent IMF analytical work suggests that these effects can become entrenched by damaging institutions and contributing to food insecurity and the fragility of conflict-affected economies. The negative economic impact of conflicts in ME&CA tends to be larger and more persistent than in the rest of the world, partly due to the characteristics of conflicts in the region and preexisting economic conditions. Moreover, when considering the impact of conflicts on bordering countries, ME&CA economies appear to experience a more adverse and prolonged impact compared to other regions.
The panel will focus on how to bring more economic stability and prosperity to conflict-affected states and their neighbors. Panelists will share insights on how to navigate complex policy trade-offs to ensure economic stability in the immediate aftermath of a conflict, and reconstruction and reforms that mitigate scarring. Additionally, the discussion will address how international financial institutions and the international community can leverage their experience from past conflicts and partner with other stakeholders to support their members in laying the foundations for sustained recovery over the long term.
MODERATOR
Julia Chatterley
Anchor and Correspondent, CNN International
Julia Chatterley is an anchor and correspondent for CNN International based in New York. She anchors First Move with Julia Chatterley weekdays at 9am ET on CNN International.
Chatterley has been instrumental in CNN's coverage of many major global business stories including the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on businesses, industries and economies around the world. She's also reported on the US-China trade relations, Brexit and from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
She also covers transformative technologies within the financial sector including global payments, the use of blockchain technology and digital assets like cryptocurrencies. She has interviewed key players like Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Calibra's chief economist Christian Catalini and Mu Changchun, the head of the digital currency research institute at the People's Bank of China, to discuss the impact of new technology and the need for better regulation.
SPEAKERS
Ghassan Salamé
Professor of International Relations Emeritus, Sciences Po Paris
Ghassan Salamé is Professor of International Relations Emeritus at SciencesPo Paris and the founding dean of its Paris School for International Affairs/Psia. He served as Minister of Culture in the Lebanese Government (2000-2003). He was the UNSG Kofi Annan’s Senior Advisor (2003-2007). He also served as member of the Annan Rakhine State Commission (2016-2017). His most recent assignment was as the United Nations Secretary-General Special Representative in Libya (2017-2020). He serves on the board of a number of international NGOs and is the author/editor of a dozen books.
Mark Malloch-Brown
President, Open Society Foundations
Mark Malloch-Brown is president of the Open Society Foundations, the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights. In his career of service, Malloch-Brown has worked to advance human rights, justice, and development in a variety of roles: serving as deputy secretary general of the United Nations under Kofi Annan; heading the United Nations Development Programme; directing external affairs at the World Bank; and working as a British government minister for Africa and Asia. Malloch-Brown co-founded Crisis Group, which works to prevent and resolve deadly conflict. More recently he chaired Best for Britain, an organization advocating internationalism as a practical approach to global problems. He has worked with a range of private companies and has led the boards of the Royal Africa Society, the UN Foundation, and the Business Commission for Sustainable Development.
Dr. Rola Dashti
Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, UNESCWA
Rola A.A.H. Dashti is Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. Ms. Dashti is a leading Kuwaiti economist and long-time champion of women’s rights and gender equality and democratic reform; she served as a member of the Supreme Planning Council in Kuwait. From 2012 to 2014, she was Minister for Planning and Development and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs. Ms. Dashti played a pivotal role in advocating for the decree to allow Kuwaiti women to vote and run for parliamentary elections, and in May 2009, she with three other women became the first women to be elected to Kuwait parliament. She has also held key positions in research and development institutions such as the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research and worked for major local and international financial and development institutions such as the National Bank of Kuwait and the World Bank. Ms. Dashti holds a doctorate degree in population dynamics from Johns Hopkins University-Baltimore, a master’s degree in economics and finance from California State University-Sacramento, and a Bachelor of Science in agriculture economics from California State University-Chico.
