Summarizing 2018 - Russian Davos - Gaidar Forum in RANEPA (Moscow), Day One

MOSCOW, January 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The results of the first day of the Ninth Gaidar Forum's work have been summed up. Its key event, the plenary discussion, Values and Virtues, was attended by the Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev.

     (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/632191/Gaidar_Forum_2018_Infographic.jpg )

The speakers discussed the risks for the global economy in the coming years. Dmitry Medvedev cited the current increasing inequality - uneven incomes, uneven territorial development; the risk of an artificial technological gap growing between the world's regions; and ensuring security in the digital space, as the top challenges of our time.

In his speech, the Prime Minister noted that the matters arising due to those explosive technological changes that are increasingly expanding beyond the scope of the economy and creating pressing and often quite unexpected ethical issues. "The question is: Are we prepared for such dynamic and drastic changes? It appears to me, not quite," he said.

Dmitry Medvedev emphasized the importance of developing modern innovative education: "As soon as today, we must set a goal to change public attitudes to healthcare and education, with a view to improve professionalism and increasing the income of professionals working in these sectors."

The plenary session participants included Chairman of JP Morgan Chase International, former Chairman of the Bank of Israel (1991-2000), and member of RANEPA International Advisory Board Jacob Frenkel; Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank Kristalina Georgieva; President of the European Policy Center, President Emeritus of the European Council (2009-2014), former Prime Minister of Belgium (2008-2009) Herman Van Rompuy; political analyst, Chairman of the Center for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, Permanent Fellow with the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna Ivan Krastev; and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland Kai Mykkanen. Experts pointed out the urgency of the threat of the growing popularity of populist political trends for international integration processes. RANEPA Rector Vladimir Mau moderated the discussion.