The development of cultural projects in the macro-region is a vital component of the national programme for the socio-economic development of the Far East. Culturally developed regions are more attractive to live in, because satisfying people's socio-cultural needs, their spiritual and cultural demands, and the availability of a large variety of high-quality cultural products are largely determining factors in the quality of life. How can conditions be created for the development of culture, leisure diversity and cultural exchange with Asia-Pacific countries in the Far East? How can cultural institutions and global cultural projects lead to an improved quality of life and have an impact on the region's economy?

Moderator:
Roman Karmanov — Chief Executive Officer, Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives

Panellists:
Eldar Aliev — Chief choreographer of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theater
Yulia Klimko — Director, Enso Foundation for Cultural Initiatives
Maxim Kosenko — General Director, Youth House (Komsomolsk-on-Amur)
Larisa Kotreleva — Director of the Branch of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Vladivostok
Alla Smorodinova — Vice-Rector for International Relations, Innovation and Additional Education, Far Eastern State Institute of Arts

Front row participant:
Elena Bronnikova — Minister of Culture of the Primorsky Territory

The Great Eurasian Partnership is taking shape right before our eyes in the form of integration processes, the creation of new free trade zones, growth in the scale of e-commerce, the efforts of various countries to improve transport infrastructure, and the development of the digital economy. At the same time, many obstacles remain on the path to creating a seamless space of equal and mutually beneficial cooperation: from uncoordinated national development strategies and inconsistencies in technical standards to a lack of information and trust. Today, everyone seems interested in how to achieve the earliest possible economic recovery on a trajectory of sustainable growth, revive value chains that have been disrupted by the pandemic and create new ones, strengthen the connectivity of infrastructure, and, in doing so, create conditions for the transition to a new technological order, which signifies a fairer socioeconomic order and more prosperity. The initiative to create the Greater Eurasian Partnership, which was put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin and supported by all the states of the Eurasian Economic Union, aims to ensure economic stability, encourage the trend of unification, and solve existing problems. EAEU members believe all states on the continent will benefit from membership, including ordinary people. Can transport and economic corridors become the backbone of Greater Eurasia? Is the prospect of creating a Greater Eurasian Energy Space realistic? How will the processes of trade liberalization develop in Eurasia, and is it possible to create a continental free trade zone? What does the future of the financial dimension of Greater Eurasia look like? How essential is de-dollarization to the concept or are there other forms of regional financial cooperation? How might digital platforms help forge links amongst national economies and build common development strategies? Finally, how can business gain from the creation of the Greater Eurasian Partnership?

Moderator:
Kirill Barskiy — Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Panellists:
Glenn Diesen — Professor, School of Business, University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) (online)
Alexey Maslov — Acting Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (online)
Mher Sahakyan — Director, China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research (CECPSR)
Samnang Tean — President, National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relation (NIDIR) of the Kingdom of Cambodia (online)
Sun Zhuangzhi — Director, Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (online)
Zarema Shaukenova — Director, Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (online)
Tadzio Schilling — Chief Executive Officer, Association of European Businesses

Video address:
Sergei Glazyev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Integration and Macroeconomics, Eurasian Economic Commission
Vladimir Norov — Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Mikhail Fradkov — Director, Russian Institute for Strategic Studies

As the global working environment is becoming increasingly competitive, interconnected, and the economies all around the world are impacted by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there is a need to improve the skills of the population to meet the demands of the future labor market. In the meantime, the epidemiological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged higher education institutions in Asia-Pacific and Africa to provide equitable access to quality education, while also continuing the learning process vital for sustainable development. Considered the fastest-growing regions in the world, APEC economies and Africa together have tremendous potential to achieve common goals. Cooperation between African and APEC economies in terms of education is crucial to ensure a worthy response to emerging challenges.
Participants of this session are invited to discuss ways to strengthen APEC-Africa cooperation by fostering academic exchanges, pedagogical practices, and identifying strategies to improve educational outcomes.
Key topics:
• The specifics of higher education: APEC and African perspectives;
• Financing educational projects and attracting investments in higher education;
• Facilitating international exchanges, academic mobility, and cross-border education;
• Exchanging pedagogical practices and assisting in developing teachers’ professional capacities;
• Competencies vital to professionals in Asia-Pacific and Africa;
• STEM education as an instrument of inclusiveness.

Moderator:
Nataliya Zaiser — Chair of the Board, Africa Business Initiative Union (online)

The Far East and the Arctic are unique in terms of their potential, geopolitical location, climate, economy as well as the major challenges that this region poses. Strong-minded people who are ready to perform feats live and work here. A managerial feat is performed every day in the civil service in the Far East and the Arctic with difficult decisions being made and people combatting the elements and developing the territory. But meeting the challenges the region faces requires more people who are able to take responsibility, have a strong spirit, and are ready to achieve their goals. However, sometimes courage and perseverance are not enough. Such people need to have special skillsets, a broad outlook, and experience working at different levels of government. There are not enough of such people. How can they be recruited? How can they be nurtured and educated? What successful practices is Russia already armed with, and what promising tools should be introduced in the region in the very near future?

Moderator:
Andrey Sharonov — President, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Panellists:
Alexey Koshel — Acting Rector, Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU)
Aysen Nikolaev — Head of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
Igor Nosov — General Director, Far East and Arctic Development Corporation
Victor Sidnev — President, Union for Russian Science Cities Development
Oleg Skufinskiy — Head, The Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography (Rosreestr)
Vladimir Solodov — Governor of Kamchatka Territory
Alexey Chekunkov — Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic

Front row participants:
Evgeny Grigoriev — Head of Yakutsk Urban Distrikt
Sergey Dmitrienko — First Deputy Head of the City of Vladivostok
Nikolay Stetsko — Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Primorsky Krai

For entrepreneurs and those who want to scale up their businesses, thinking about new sales markets are a constant priority. New opportunities are opening up both in Russia and abroad, and the export of goods and services is a key area for the Russian economy. Entrepreneurs should first consider and anaylze which region of the world they are willing and able to supply their goods and services to. The International Cooperation and Exports national project is one of a number of key projects aiming to develop the export potential of Russian producers, and the development of new export-oriented projects is an area attracting significant attention. This session will look at a number of international markets and present successful export case studies. The key question that participants at the session can expect to receive answers to is whether exporting has reached its full potential.

Moderator:
Pavel Dolgov — Vice President, Association of Exporters and Importers

Panellists:
Denis Buzykin — Director of E-Commerce, Far East Macroregion, Russian Post
Natalya Minayeva — Regional Project Director, Russian Export Centre
Nguyen Minh — Director, Representative Office, Moscow Association of Entrepreneurs in Vietnam (online)
Lubarto Sartoyo — Investment Advisor to the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Russian Federation
Valentina Filonenko — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Khabarovsk Territory

Front row participants:
Tatiana Poltavets — Head of the MBA Export to Asia Program, Academy of Management, Far Eastern Federal University
Maxim Chereshnev — Chairman, Russian Trade and Economy Development Council (online)

"The Far Eastern Hectare" is a unique opportunity for proactive people to realize their dreams in their native land, in the Far East. In 2021, the programme was expanded to include the Arctic. The system of granting free land plots to citizens within a month and, with minimal administrative costs, helps remove administrative barriers and actively involve people in the development of territories. What are the interim results of the programme? What has been achieved? How should the programme be further developed? What government programmes will support the project? What prospects for the development of engineering and transport infrastructure does the project offer?

Moderator:
Mikhail Grudinin — Head, Centre for Development of the Republic of Altai

Panellists:
Natalia Bugaets — Participant of the "Far Eastern Hectare" Program
Kirill Bychkov — First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Vitaly Lunev — Minister of Property and Land Relations of Primorsky Krai
Vadim Mamontov — General Director, RussiaDiscovery
Elena Martynova — Deputy Head,The Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography (Rosreestr)
Nikita Stasishin — Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation
Nikolay Kharitonov — Chairman of the Committee for Regional Policy and Issues of the North and Far East, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Marat Shamyunov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic

Front row participant:
Elena Andreeva — Participant of the "Far Eastern Hectare" Program

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the activity of civil society and public institutions in crisis conditions. Public network structures have proven themselves to be quick and effective actors in mobilizing to solve social problems that were exacerbated during the pandemic (volunteer help for the disabled, the elderly, and low-mobile groups of citizens; restructuring the system of long-term care for the elderly in quarantine conditions; public monitoring of human rights in places of detention and neuropsychiatric institutions; volunteer assistance to medical workers and institutions; psychological assistance projects; cultural and educational projects; and the creation of a new culture of tolerance and respect for the rights of people with disabilities). Despite the fact that any pandemic ends sooner or later, the past year has compelled us to talk about a new normal in the way we live in society. The pandemic has irrevocably changed the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world and will continue to do so. The Russian experience has shown how much potential civil society has as a dampening force for the negative social effects of the pandemic. The global trend towards increasing the role of organized and networked civil society structures in the new normal is likely to continue. What regional and national models of interaction between civil society institutions and the state under the new conditions are possible and most preferable?

Moderator:
Elena Topoleva-Soldunova — Member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation; Chairman, Commission for the Development of the Non-Profit Sector and Support of Socially Oriented NPOs; Director, "Agency of Social Information"

Panellists:
Svetlana Bazhenova — General Director, Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization of Additional Professional Education and Consulting Razvitie
Pavel Savchuk — Chairman, Russian Red Cross All-Russian Civic Organization
Moon Sung-Hyun — Chairperson, Economic, Social, and Labor Council, Republic of Korea (online)

Front row participant:
Galina Dzyuba — Chairman of the Board, Sakhalin Center for Housing and Utilities Control; President, Union "Sakhalin Chamber of Commerce and Industry"

The desire to help is inherent in most everyone, and given the intensive workload of residents of large cities, regular volunteering is becoming a familiar means for rechannelling one’s efforts, self-development, and getting more joy out of life. Making recurring payments to foundations, participating in corporate volunteer programmes, taking vacations as a volunteer at major events, and taking part in volunteer projects is becoming the new norm. More than 15 million Russians took part in various volunteer projects in 2020. It is difficult to imagine major sporting events and festivals without the support of volunteers from different age groups. During the pandemic, though, professional volunteering also took on a prominent role, as medical volunteers got involved in providing assistance at COVID hospitals and professional drivers helped out medical workers. Support from corporations has become equally significant with the Help is Nearby project, a platform used to teach digital skills to older people, and so on. What role can corporations and governments play in shaping the volunteer movement? Can certain areas of responsibility and functional responsibilities be assigned to volunteers without them being duplicated by regular workers? What niches are there for volunteering integrators and professionals? What kind of support can a volunteer expect, and are preferences for volunteers fair?

Moderator:
Irina Bova — Psychologist, Entrepreneur, Head of a Training Centre, "BOVACENTRE"

Panellists:
Kristina Bagrova — Founder, Strategy Director, You Social (online)
Tatiana Bocharova — Head of Project "Assistance to Adult Institutions in Moscow", The Hospice Charity Fund "Vera" (online)
Nadezhda Kolodko — Deputy Chairman of the Board, Association of Volunteer Centers
Irina Olkhovskaya — Chief Officer for Seaport and Railway Projects, UMMC
Grigory Sergeev — Head, Search-and-Rescue Volunteer Organization "LizaAlert"; Director, Center for Search of Missing People (online)

Pre-registration is required

The pervasiveness and ubiquity of all digital-related changes have accelerated over the past 20 years and continue to grow exponentially. Digital technology is becoming increasingly intertwined with everyday life: from schooling to political engagement and even financial and health management. Developments in digital technology, and the speed at which they emerge, drive innovation and new applications that touch our lives in different and often profound ways. One of the most noticeable influences of digital technologies is the way they transform people’s communications, providing completely new tools for overcoming physical and bureaucratic obstacles, facilitating economic, socio-cultural, and even academic interactions. Along with the economy and society becoming more digitized, education, being also changed by tech trends, remains the basis for human resource development, equipping people with skills, knowledge, and competencies. Participants are invited to share their unique experience of adjusting educational models to the spreading digitalization.
Key topics:
· Universities as platforms for high-professional 21st century training;
· Change in education models in mechanics brought by digital transformation;
· Challenges and barriers for digital education;
· International opportunities for cooperation;
· Improving educational equity and inclusion with technology.

Moderator:
Ilya Mirin — Deputy Director for Development, Institute of Mathematics and Computer Technology, Far Eastern Federal University

Panellists:
Ilya Volynkin — IT Architecture Development Director, Gazprom-Media Holding (online)
Eric Yen-Liang Lin — Director of Media Education Center, NTUT (online)
Evgeny Kaganer — Dean for Academic Affairs, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO
Huynh Quyet Thang — President, Hanoi University of Science and Technology (online)
Steven Matainaho — Secretary, Papua New Guinea Department of ICT (online)
Anatoly Nikolaev — Rector, Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University
Sergey Salikhov — First Vice-Rector, National University of Science and Technology (MISiS) (online)
Olga Skorokhodova — Deputy Director for Government Relations, Google Russia (online)
Kaeko Chiba — Associate Professor, Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Akita International University (online)

The development of high technologies is one of the key factors for Russia’s economic growth. The scientific and technological potential of the Far East can be converted to not only accelerate regional development, but also to ensure the sustainable economic growth of the Russian Federation as a whole. The Far East’s biggest advantage is its geopolitical position with access to the rapidly developing Asian markets and the presence of unique natural resources, including rice sea resources, which could become the basis for new large-scale science-intensive industries. The main task facing the Far East today is to form a full-fledged ecosystem to develop high-tech business in order to implement the priorities of the Strategy for the Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation, enhance the investment appeal of research and development, commercialize its results, and provide citizens and legal entities with greater access to promising, commercially attractive scientific and engineering projects. What conditions and tools should be used to boost the competitive potential of the Far East in high technologies? What are the main mechanisms for developing high-tech markets in Russia and integrating them into international markets? What technologies and high-tech products do Far East businesses rely on when entering the markets of the Asia-Pacific region?

Moderator:
Elena Kharisova — Vice President for Perspective Projects and New Infrastructure, Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU); General Director, Development Fund of the Innovative Research and Technology Center Russky

Panellists:
Aleksandr Generalov — President, Arnika-Holding
Denis Remenyako — General Director, FC Grand Capital
Ruslan Sarkisov — Chief Executive Officer, Far East High Technologies Fund
Alexey Chekunkov — Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Maksim Chugunov — General Director, Promobot

Front row participants:
Artur Biktimirov — Neurosurgeon of the Medical Center of the Far Eastern Federal University
Georgy Budnik — Co-Director , AXIOM; Director, Community & Education
Chen Herbert — Vice Chairman, International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (online)
Serge Conesa — Chief Executive Officer, Founder, Immersion4
Ilya Pinchevsky — Advisor to the First Vice President, Antey
Igor Semenov — Executive Director, First Ore Mining Company; Chairman of the Board of Directors, ARMZ LLC

International events have long been a tool at the disposal of public policymakers. Participating in these events is a core responsibility of politicians, businesspeople and experts around the world. According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), global market volumes for international business events stand at USD 1 trillion. The restrictions imposed around the world as a result of the pandemic have triggered a search for new ways of holding events. How effective are these new formats? What actual impact are they having on national economies and politics? What will international events look like in the future?

Moderator:
Roman Chukov — Chairman of the Board, Russian Center for the Promotion of International Initiatives; Assistant to Youth Policy Director, Roscongress Foundation

Panellists:
Sagid Zaremukov — Director, Russian Convention Bureau
Gracia Paramitha — Co-Founder, Indonesian Youth Diplomacy
Dmitry Stolkov — Deputy Chief for Special Commissions, Chancellery of the President of the Russian Federation
Alexander Stuglev — Chief Executive Officer, The Roscongress Foundation
Georgy Toloraya — Member of Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 Panel of Experts, UN Security Council

Front row participant:
Evgeny Primakov — Head, Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo)

As APEC economies are getting closely intertwined and overlap with their neighbors, the alignment of integration projects becomes a priority. Fostering synergies between the Greater Eurasian Partnership and APEC can benefit all parties once stronger economic ties get forged. Trade and regional integration in Eurasia will inevitably affect the sphere of education. Thus, cooperation in higher education can become one of the most flexible forms of merging APEC and Greater Eurasia.
The session attendees are to identify the prospects for educational cooperation and future ways of rapprochement.
Key topics:
• Academic mobility, experience sharing, and collaborative projects: identifying points of convergence in higher education;
• Training professionals and improving employability: universities’ outlook;
• Providing technological breakthrough to enhance higher education in Asia-Pacific and Eurasia;
• Aligning educational efforts to foster common markets.

Moderator:
Kirill Barskiy — Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Panellists:
Ganbold Baasanjav — Head of Office, ESCAP Subregional Office for East and North-East Asia (online)
Fedor Voytolovskiy — Director, Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO); Corresponding Member, Russian Academy of Sciences (online)
Alexey Maslov — Acting Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (online)
Anastasia Minina — Candidate of Engineering Sciences, Docent, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University "LETI"
Vera Skorobogatova — Leading Researcher, Institute for Demographic Research of the Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences

It is hard to imagine many areas of modern life without robotics. Automation, cost cutting, reducing production times, greater quality control – all of this work is being done by robots, which has made it possible to minimize human error, and with each passing year, robotics becomes an increasingly integral part of new sectors of the economy. According to the latest research, the most promising areas for robotics in business today are manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, and medicine. However, the emergence of robotic technologies is also giving rise to a range of ethical questions. What will the era of automation look like? What can be done to make interaction between humans and artificial intelligence effective and less? What new opportunities will robotics open up for the public and private sector? What skills do today’s students need to have to build a career in robotics and automation?

Moderator:
Dmitry Zemtsov — Vice Rector for Development, Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU); Head of the National Technology Initiative Working Group for the Development of Supplementary and Non-Formal Education, Kruzhok Movement

Panellists:
Armen Harutyunyan — Director of the Department of Agroindustrial Policy, Eurasian Economic Commission
Andrey Dymchenko — General Director, White Soft
Ekaterina Nekrasova — Partner, Head of Financial Services Regulatory Group, PwC in Russia
Vladimir Rakhteyenko — Chief Executive Officer, Custis; Developer, Modeus Platform for Managing Individual Educational Paths
Robert Urazov — General Director, Professional Skills Development Agency (WorldSkills Russia)

Front row participant:
Elena Boitsova — Director of the Financial Audit Department, Accounts Chamber Russian Federation