Monthly Archives: May 2015

AFGHANISTAN AND CENTRAL ASIA: RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

May 25, 2015 20:14

WEDNESDAY, 27 MAY
15:00–16:00 / HALL#237 VALIKHANOV BLD. KIMEP UNIVERSITY

By Armands Pupols
UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA)

Armands Pupols has been working for international organizations for the last fifteen years. He started with the OSCE field offices in Bosnia and Herzegovina back in the late 90s. Afterwards he worked in the OSCE Centre in Almaty, Kazakhstan, as an Economic and Environmental Officer and Chief Administrator. He joined the Conflict Prevention Centre in the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna in 2004. Since the end of 2008 he is working as a Political Adviser in the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), particularly covering issues related to the interaction between Central Asian states and Afghanistan. Regarding academic background Armands Pupols studied international relations and economy in the Latvian University, Budapest University of Economic Science and Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.

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RECENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA REGION

May 18, 2015 07:59

TUESDAY, 19 MAY
15:00–16:00 / HALL #237
VALIKHANOV BLD / KIMEP

By JUHA KÄHKÖNEN
Deputy Director
Middle East & Central Asia Department
International Monetary Fund (IMF)

The IMF releases its Regional Economic Outlook (REO) in the spring and fall of every year. In its latest update in April 2015, it analysed the impact of the fall in oil prices, the economic slowdown in Russia and developments in exchange rates in the Caucasus and Central Asia region. In this lecture Mr. Kähkönen will share his understanding of economic developments in the region.

Short biography of the speaker:

Mr. Juha Kahkonen is deputy director of Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF, since March 2012. Oversees the department’s work on Egypt and the CCA (Caucasus and Central Asia) Mr. Juha Kahkonen has Ph.D. from Michigan (1982).

Mr. Juha Kahkonen has previously worked in the Research, Asian, Policy Development and Review, and European Departments. Past assignments include period as resident representative in India, work on advanced and emerging market countries in Asia (Japan, Singapore, Poland, and Thailand), heading IMF missions to Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and more recently Germany and Russia, and reviewing IMF work on some 50 countries representing all continents.
Prior to joining the IMF, in 1982–86, Mr. Juha Kahkonen worked as assistant professor at New York University, associate professor and professor at Helsinki School of Economics, and research advisor at the Bank of Finland.

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