Who is coming to our East Asia 2015 meeting?

Seven-hundred participants from over 40 countries, including 180 CEOs and chairpersons, and 40 ministers and international organization representatives will convene at the 24th World Economic Forum on East Asia, which takes place in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 19-21 April 2015.

President Joko Widodo of Indonesia will give a keynote address. The theme of this year’s East Asia gathering is Anchoring Trust in East Asia’s New Regionalism.

“As the world’s only international institution for public-private cooperation, the World Economic Forum is holding this meeting at a time where enhancing trust will be a defining factor in eliminating societal and political polarisation. To meet the needs of East Asia’s fast-growing economies, partnerships are essential to address people’s rightful demands for greater access to education, meaningful employment and political representation,” said Sushant Palakurthi Rao, Senior Director and Head of Asia-Pacific at the World Economic Forum.

The meeting programme is built on three pillars:

• The New Citizen Context identifies potential solutions to pressing societal challenges.
• The New Economic Context explores opportunities and disruptions to economic growth in the region, for example technological innovations, the impact of the new ASEAN Economic Community or environmental and social sustainability.
• The New Regional Context examines progress in regional collaboration but also geopolitical tensions that could undermine progress.

The meeting also serves as an impartial platform to discuss and tackle several of the 10 global challenges the Forum believes can only be addressed through multistakeholder cooperation and public-private partnerships.

The Co-Chairs of the World Economic on East Asia are: Hans-Paul Bürkner, Chairman, The Boston Consulting Group, Germany; John Riady, Executive Director, Lippo Group, Indonesia;Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Chief Executive Officer, Bank Mandiri (Persero), Indonesia; William Lacy Swing, Director-General, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Geneva; and Teresita Sy-Coson, Vice-Chairperson, SM Investments Corporation, Philippines.

Other participants include: Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia; Vilayvanh Phomkhe, Minister of Agriculture of Laos; Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia; Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, President of Mali; Purevsuren Lundeg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia; U Htay Aung, Union Minister for Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar; Alma Oumarou, Minister of Commerce and Private Sector Promotion of Niger; Cesar V Purisima, Secretary of Finance of the Philippines; Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation; Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, State Secretary for Economic Affairs of Switzerland; Narongchai Akrasanee, Minister of Energy of Thailand; Harry Harris, Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, US Navy; and Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam.

Ahead of the public programme, the World Economic Forum will host several meetings and workshops on its specific public-private partnerships it is currently leading. These include the New Vision for Agriculture, which has partnerships in 16 countries to address food security, and the Global Strategic Infrastructure Initiative, which aims to facilitate dialogue and collaborations in three areas: regional acceleration, global knowledge and collaboration platforms, and infrastructure development for economic corridors.

Find our how to follow our East Asia 2015 meeting on social media and how to add our coverage to your own website or blog.

Author: Fon Mathuros is Senior Director, Head of Media at the World Economic Forum.

Image: A worker works at a construction site for a new office building in Jakarta April 2, 2008. REUTERS/Supri